UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   SAN  D  EGO 


3  182202258  1029 


LIBRARY 

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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA      AN  DIEGO 


3  182202258  1029 


presented  to  the 

LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  •  SAN  DIEGO 
by 

FRIENDS  OF  THE  LIBRARY 


MR.    JOHN  C.   ROSE 


donor 


EXPLANATION. 


A.  Will 

B    Logic. 

C   The  Mount  of  Venu*. 

D.  The  Mount  of  Jupiter. 

E.  The  Mount  of  Saturn. 

F.  The  Mount  of  the  Sun. 

G.  The  Mount  of  Merctuy\ 
H.  The  Mount  of  Mars      I 
I.  The  Mount  of  the  Mooo  j 
J.  The  Plain  of  Man. 

a  -a.  Line  of  Life. 

•'•  '••  Line  of  Head. 

c  c.  Line  of  Heart. 

'/  d.  Line  of  Saturn  or  Fat*. 

<  •  e .  Line  of  Liver. 

ff.  Line  of  the  Sun  or  F< 

gg.  Belt  of  Venua, 


The 

Percussion. 


K.  TheRascetta. 

L.  Square  finger. 

M.  Spatulate  finger. 

N.  Conic  finger. 

O.  Pointed  finger. 

P.  The  ist  Phalanfa. 

Q.  The  2nd  Phalange, 

R.  The  aid  Phalange. 

S.  The  ist  Joint  (Order). 

T.  The  and  Joint  (Philosophy} 

4  The  Quadrangle. 
i  The  Triangle. 
j.  The  Upper  Angle. 
k.  The  Inner  Angie. 
I  The  Lower  Angle. 
mmm.  The  Bracelet*  of  Life 


.:> 


THE 


LANGUAGE  OF  THE  HAND 


A    CONCISE    EXPOSITION    OF    THE    PRINCIPLES   AND 

PRACTICE    OF    THE   ART   OF   READING 

THE    HAND 


THE  PAST,  THE  PRESENT,  AND  THE  FUTURE 
MAY    BE   EXPLAINED    AND   FORETOLD 

BY 

HENRY^FRITH 

A  N  r> 

ED.     HERON    ALLEN 


ILLUSTRATED    BY    DORA     NO  YES 


PHILADELPHIA: 
DAVID    McKAY,    PUBLISHER, 

610  SOUTH   WASHINGTON   SQUARE. 


TO 

CW     4 
•    <5P"    JT* 

THIS  WORK  IS  INSCRIBED 


C|t 


CONTENTS. 


PACK 

PREFACE .      » 

INTRODUCTION        ........      19 


PART  I.— CHIROGNOMY. 

CHAPTER  L 
OF  THE  HAND  GENERALLY        ...•••     3« 

CHAPTER  IL 
OF  THE  THUMB ...37 

CHAPTER   III. 
OF  THE  CONSISTENCY  OF  HANDS       .       .       •       .       .      4° 

CHAPTER   IV. 
OF  THE  SEVEN  TYPES  OF  HANDS      ,       ....      4» 

CHAPTER  V. 

OF  THE  FEMALE  HAND      .       .       .       .       .       . '     .      66 


PART  II.— CHIROMANCY. 

CHAPTER   L 
OF  THE  HANT>  AND  ITS  MARKINGS    .....      75 

CHAPTER   IL 
Or  THS  MOUNDS  OF  THE  HAND        .       .       .       •       «      I* 


8  Contents. 

PAGB 

CHAPTER   IIL 
OF  THE  LINE  OF  THE  HEART  .....     99 

CHAPTER  IV. 
OP  THE  LINE  or  THE  HEAD      ......     $0 

CHAPTER  V. 
OF  THE  LINK  or  LIFE  ,    100 


CHAPTER    VL 
OF  THE  LINE  OF  SATURN    .......    no 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Ov  THE  HEPATIC  LINE  AND  THE  GIRDLE  OF  VKNUS      .    118 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
OF  THE  LINES  or  THE  SUN  AND  OF  THE  WRIST     .       .    iaa 

CHAPTER   IX. 
OF  THE  READING  OF  THE  HAND — "RIGHT"  AND  "LEFT"    133 

CHAPTER   X. 
OF  THE  QUADRANGLE — ADVICE  "TO  THOSE  ABOUT  TO 

MAKRY  "  —THE  GREAT  TRIANGLE       ....    138 

CHAPTER  XI. 
OF  THE  LITTLE  TRIANGLE— THE  ANGLES        .       .       .    143 

CHAPTER  XII. 
ON  THE  SIGNS  WHICH  MODIFY  PREDICTED  EFFECTS       .    147 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
A  new  PRACTICAL  HINTS— CONCLUSION  .       ...    154 


PREFACE. 


Prius  quiun  Incipiaj  consulto,  et  ubi  oonsulueris  mature  facto  opus  eat. 

— Sallust. 

CHIROMANCY,  which  includes  Chirognomy,  concern- 
ing which  we  propose  to  treat  in  the  following 
pages,  is  of  very  ancient  origin.  The  derivation  of 
the  word  is  from  the  Greek  x*lp  (the  hand)  and  /Murew- 
opai  (I  foretell).  In  fact,  the  Science  is  that  which 
enables  us  to  divine  character,  past  events,  and  des- 
tiny from  the  shape,  the  mounds,  and  the  lines  of  the 
hands. 

There  is  more  in  this  science  than  may  at  first 
sight  appear  to  an  observer.  We  know  that  certain 
bumps  upon  the  head  indicate  certain  characteristics 
of  human  nature.  The  colour  of  the  hair  and  eyes, 
the  form  of  the  mouth,  of  the  chin  and  nose,  the 
shape  of  the  ears,  with  other  signs  and  attributes  of 
person,  and  the  general  form  of  the  body,  nails,  and 
fingers  afford  certain  and  infallible  indications  of 
temperament  as  varied  as  the  forms  of  ear  or  face. 
Nothing  in  nature  is  more  remarkable  than  the  fact 
that,  although  every  individual  amongst  the  millions  of 
living  human  beings  possesses  features,  and  organs  of 
perception,  visibly  formed  for  the  same  purposes,  and 
used  for  those  purposes,  no  two  persons  possess 
them  exactly  alike.  The  variety  therefore  is  infinite. 

What    then,  are  we  to  say  concerning  the  hand  of 


12  Preface 

man  ?  Character  can  be  read  from  the  feat  ires  and 
expression  of  the  face,  why  not  from  the  marks  and 
lines  upon  the  hand?  Because,  you  will  say,  the 
"  horny-handed  son  of  toil "  will  show  you  more  and 
ft  greater  variety  of  marks  (not  lines)  than  the  idle 
man,  or  the  individual  who  works  with  his  pen,  and 
not  with  spade,  pickaxe,  or  hammer.  We  grant  that 
the  effects  of  manual  labour  will  be  different,  but  they 
will  not  produce  the  same  lines.  Put  any  two  men 
at  the  same  work,  their  hands  will  not  be  any  more 
alike  after  a  week's  work  than  they  were  at  the 
beginning  of  the  week. 

Neither  are  the  lines  in  the  hand  caused  by  the 
general  folding  or  construction ;  as  an  old  writer  puts 
it — JDeus  et  Natura  nihil  efficiunt  frustra.  Certainly 
nothing  has  been  made  in  vain,  and  why,  then,  should 
the  lines  of  the  human  hand  not  bear  some  signifi- 
cance ?  "  Nature,"  continues  one  old  authority,  "  has 
impressed  lines  in  the  forehead  which  is  not  capable 
of  restriction  or  plication,  therefore  this  cannot  hold, 
that  the  construction  of  the  hands  should  cause  the 
formation  or  appearance  of  lines  in  the  hands ;  lor 
etween  the  joints  of  the  fingers  many  persons  have 
rnes,  and  of  different  forms.  Other  people  have  very 
few — mayhap  none  at  all — and  here  there  is  no  flexion." 

We  therefore  support  the  principle  that  there  is  a 
meaning  attached  to  the  lines  and  mounds  of  the 
hand,  though  we  will  not  take  upon  ourselves  to  affirm 
unreservedly  that  the  meanings  attached  to  those 
lines  or  mounds  are  always  unalteiably  the  true  ones, 
as  far  as  the  future  is  concerned.  It  is  against  reason 
and  common  sense  to  foretell,  beyond  power  of  muta- 
tion, events  which  cannot  certainly  be  known  to  any 


Preface.  13 

human  being.  That  certain  identical  lines  and  mounds 
are  visible  in  the  hands  of  individuals  of  like  tempera- 
ment is  not  to  be  gainsaid.  Phrenology  has  given  us 
standing  ground  for  so  much  assumption  in  regard  to 
Chiromancy.  Lavater  was  a  master  in  reading  tem- 
perament from  facial  observation.  The  hand  will 
afford  as  much  information  if  we  study  it  properly. 

As  to  which  hand  should  be  inspected,  it  is 
the  generally  received  rule  that  the  left  hand  is  the 
one  which  the  Chiromant  must  study  first,  and  that 
the  indications  which  he  finds  in  that  hand  must  be 
modified  or  corrected  by  those  found  in  the  right ;  and 
this,  it  seems  to  us,  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  left 
hand  is  (except  in  the  case  of  a  left-handed  subject) 
comparatively  the  idle  hand,  and  is  therefore  the  more 
adapted  to  the  proper  formation  of  the  lines  and 
mounds.  We  have  found  in  an  ancient  authority  a 
manifestly  absurd  rule  which  declares  that  it  depends 
whether  the  owner  of  the  hand  had  been  born  by 
night  or  by  day  ;  that  if  the  former,  the  left  hand  is  to 
be  inspected,  that  in  the  latter  case  the  right  hand ; 
though  both  are  necessary  for  a  complete  divination. 
"  Node  etiam  natis  sinistra  magis  favet,  die  vero 
tt  in  aurora  natis  dextra,  quamvis  utraque  manut 
probe  inspicienda  et  examinanda  est." 

We  shall  recur  to  this  in  the  body  of  the  work, 
and  therefore  pass  on  tf  the  consideration  of  the 
antiquity  and  history  of  Chiromancy,  which  will  lead 
us  to  the  practical  chapters  on  the  science. 

It  is  impossible  to  ascertain  the  origin  of  Chiro- 
mancy, nor  would  it  be  of  much  practical  use  if  we 
could  do  so.  It  has  been  stated  that  Homer  wrote 
a  treatise  upon  the  science,  but  this  is  improbable  on 


14  Preface. 

the  face  of  it  The  Romans  appear  to  .tave  been 
acquainted  with  Chiromancy;  and  Dryden,  in  hia 
Juvenal,  says— 

"The  middle  sort,  who  have  not  much  to  spare, 
To  Chiromancer's  cheaper  art  repair, 
Who  clap  the  pretty  palm  to  make  the  lines  more  fair." 

Artemidorus,  in  the  second  century,  wrote  of  Chiro- 
mancy, and  we  have  many  later  authors,  such  as  Codes 
in  1504,  De  la  Chambre  1653,  with  other  Italian 
and  French  writers,  as  well  as  Germans,  down  to  the 
lady  who  produced  the  "  Grand  Jeu  de  Socie'te' "  in 
Paris. 

The  first  regular  work,  however,  upon  this  art  or 
science  seems  to  have  been  produced  in  the  fifteenth 
century  by  Hartlieb,  who  produced  a  very  remarkable 
and  now  very  rare  volume  entitled  "Die  Kunst 
Ciromantia."  The  date  of  this  volume — a  rare  speci- 
men of  the  block  printing — is  1448.  Codes  above 
mentioned  appears  to  have  made  a  study  of  Chiro- 
mancy, and  it  is  recorded  by  the  writer  of  the 
"  Anecdotes  de  Florence,"  that  he  made  some  success- 
ful predictions  from  an  observation  of  hands  and 
features.  Codes  himself  was  the  victim  of  the 
murder  he  predicted,  and  fulfilled  his  former  prophecy 
to  the  effect  that  he  himself  would  die  from  the 
effects  of  a  blow  upon  the  head,  which  did  actually 
cause  his  death.  This  prediction  came  true  to  the 
letter,  as  he  was  struck  with  an  axe  by  the  man  whom 
he  had  connected  with  a  "  detestable  murder,"  to  be 
performed  that  very  day. 

The  study  of  Physiology  and  Chiromancy  (or 
Palmistry)  were  not  uncommonly  united,  and  many 


Preface.  15 

Beers  tried  their  hands  at  the  art  We  have  found 
two  very  excellent  professors,  whose  works,  with  othei 
rather  more  modern  and  equally  scarce  pamphlets,  we 
have  laid  under  contribution  in  the  following  pages. 
We  have  devoted  some  years  to  the  study  of  the  sub- 
ject, and,  reading  the  palm  as  we  do,  we  find  much  to 
recommend  the  art.  There  is  considerable  instruc- 
tion to  be  gained  by  its  practice,  but  we  would 
recommend  caution  in  fully  interpreting  the  lines  of 
the  hand  in  public.  There  may  well  be  occasions 
when  silence  even  will  best  meet  the  case ;  for,  putting 
aside  the  objection  sensitive  people  may  entertain  on 
the  subject,  nervous  individuals,  and  those  whose 
minds  are  apt  to  dwell  upon  trifles  as  likely  to  affect 
their  future  happiness,  should  not  be  "  operated  on." 

We  have  had  experience  of  this  in  ordinary  "  for- 
tune-telling," when  "tears"  tell  to  the  lot  of  a  lady 
three  times  successively,  notwithstanding  some  good- 
natured  attempts  to  alter  Fate  by  shuffling  the  fortune- 
telling  apparatus.  The  young  lady  was  deeply 
impressed  by  the  singular  repetition  of  the  unhappy 
fate  in  store  for  her,  and  did  not  recover  her  spirits 
for  some  days.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  her  life  since 
then — some  fifteen  years  ago — has  been  singularly  un- 
happy, full  of  disappointments  and  pain,  mentally  and 
bodily.  The  prediction  was  only  too  true. 

But  to  resume.  Chiromancy  died  out  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  when  Physiognomy  usurped  its  place, 
but  within  a  few  months  Society  has  taken  up  the 
"craze,"  as  it  has  been  ignorantly  called,  for  there  is 
much  more  sense  in  the  study  of  Chiromancy  than  in 
ninety-nine  of  the  passing  fancies  taken  up  by  people 
who  have  no  time  to  take  up  anything.  One  ancient 


1 6  Preface. 

writer  saith  tha\.  Chiromancy  "informeth  us  to  know 
and  discerne  by  the  Hand  the  Complexions  and  Con- 
stitutions of  Bodies ;  the  Sufferings  and  Sorrows  of 
Humane  Life ;  the  Felicity  and  Infelicity  thereof; 
and,  in  fine,  all  things  Good  or  Bad  that  may  befal  or 
betide  Man  or  Woman."  Most  singular  speculations 
may  be  drawn  from  the  lines,  he  says ;  that  is  to  say, 
"  from  their  Longitude,  Latitude,  Profundity,  Rectitude, 
Obliquity,  Intersection,  Application,  Opposition,  Con- 
junction, Separation,  Continuity,  Discontinuity,  Pro- 
portion, Disproportion,  Lucidity,  Apparency,  Pallidity, 
Rubedity,  Fuscedity  (which  is  a  cloudy  darkness  of 
color),  Mollicity,"  &c.,  from  their  "  Position,  Calliga- 
tion,  and  Form." 

Nor  is  this  all  that  pertains  to  the  correct  reading 
of  the  hands  :  there  are  other  indications  which  the 
student  must  take  note  of  and  remember,  such  as  the 
crosses,  stars,  rays,  and  branches,  ascensions  and 
descensions,  "right  or  torted;"  so  Palmistry  is  not 
the  mere  amusement  it  would  appear.  Granting, 
therefore,  that  these  lines  were  put  upon  the  hands  by 
Nature,  as  indications  of  character,  or  as  heritage 
from  our  parents  and  remoter  ancestors,  whose  charac- 
teristics we  naturally  inherit,  we  shall  be  able  to  make 
certain  diagnoses  of  the  kind  of  people  we  are. 

The  explanation  of  these  signs  is  named  CHIRO- 
MANCY. "  Onely  this  I  shall  tell  you — the  Author  hath 
not  onely  in  this  small  tract  reduced  all  to  a  concise 
and  Methodical  Discourse,"  but  "  added  divers  others 
of  his  own  observations." 

"  Seek  and  ye  shall  find  !"  said  the  greatest  and 
highest  Philosopher,  but  now  and  then  to  aid  the 
feeble  powers  of  man,  to  guide  his  erring  but  welt 


Preface.  ij 

intentioned  footsteps,  Providence  sends  a  man  g/fted 
with  powers  beyond  those  of  his  fellow-mortals,  whose 
efforts,  whose  researches,  and  whose  natural  powers, 
help  man  a  step  farther  towards  that  goal  which  is 
already  in  sight,  towards  that  power  which  is  only 
just  out  of  reach  of  our  grasp,  towards  that  knowledge 
which  is  man's  pre-ordained  prerogative,  but  for  which, 
in  the  days  of  our  forefathers,  its  seekers  were  con- 
demned to  the  prison,  the  torture,  and  the  scaffold. 
Such  men  as  this  were  Hermes  Trismegistus,  Apol- 
lonius,  and  Paracelsus,  such  men  are  and  have  been 
Gall,  Lavater,  D'Arpentigny,  and  Desbarrolles. 

Gall  and  Lavater  taught  methods  of  divination 
complicated  to  acquire  and  difficult  to  put  into 
practice.  M.  le  Capitaine  D'Arpentigny  at  length 
appeared  on  the  scene,  endowed  with  a  cool  judg- 
ment, an  indomitable  perseverance,  and  an  unflagging 
watchfulness.  The  system  he  inaugurated,  under  the 
title  of  Chirognomy,  though  vague  in  places,  became 
elucidated  and  enlarged  as  it  passed  through  the 
hands  and  brains  of  such  men  as  Bichat,  Montaigne, 
Rabelais,  Herder,  and  Balzac.  To  these  men  came 
Desbarrolles,  with  his  sister  science  Chiromancy;  what 
the  former  wanted,  the  latter  supplied;  what  was 
confusing  in  the  latter  was  explained  by  the  former ; 
and  the  twin  doctrines  uniting  with  their  younger  and 
necessarily  more  fallible  satellite,  Graphology,  became 
a  harmonious  whole, — "  The  Science  of  the  Hand.** 

Desbarrolles,  having  studied  all  the  Chiromantic 
works  on  which  the  Sorcerers,  Astrologers,  Necro- 
mancers, and  Charlatans  of  the  Middle  Ages  founded 
their  pretended  knowledge,  rejected  all  as  the  crea- 
tions of  unscrupulous  mystery-mongers,  and  seeking 

C 


1 8  Preface* 

for  Chiromancy  its  true  origin  in  the  Kaboala  of  pri- 
mitive India,  embodied  the  principles  of  our  science, 
by  which  the  instincts  of  man,  his  past  life,  and,  to  a 
certain  extent,  his  future  may  be  explained  and 
revealed. 

We  say  "  to  a  certain  extent,"  for  were  we  to  say 
the  absolute  unavoidable  future  may  be  read  in  the 
hand,  we  should  lay  ourselves  open  to  just  condemna- 
tion for  charlatanry  and  fatalism.  What  we  do  claim 
for  the  science  is  this,  that  by  indicating,  by  means  of 
the  instincts  and  tendencies  shown  in  the  hands,  the 
events  which,  if  left  to  themselves,  would  supervene, 
such  events,  by  the  suppression  of  the  tendencies 
which  will  bring  them  about,  may  be  neutralized  or 
avoided  entirely. 

Let  us  -claim  for  this  Opuscule  the  merit  of  opening 
your  eyes  to  the  tendencies  of  your  nature,  and  the 
probable  "esults  of  those  tendencies.  Let  this  bro- 
chure be  the  means  by  which  you  may  so  encourage 
your  finer  instincts,  and  so  combat  and  neutralize  your 
evil  ones,  that  by  attention  to  the  aptitudes  and  weak- 
nesses with  which  you  entered  this  world,  you  may 
learn  and  labour  truly  to  get  your  own  living  in  thai 
state  of  lije  unto  which  it  (hall  have  pleased  God  to  call 
you. 


INTRODUCTION. 

••  Facts  are  stubborn  things ! " 


SOME  time  ago  we  were  dining  with  some  friends 
living  in  one  of  the  most  populous  and  popular 
suburbs  of  our  great  city.  The  other  guests  present 
were  all  people  of  a  character  unmistakably  suburban, 
that  is,  they  were  composed  for  the  most  part  of  men 
whose  business  took  them  to  town  every  week-day,  to 
whom  the  suburbs,  where  their  wives  and  families 
lived,  moved,  and  had  their  being,  was  but  a  dormi- 
tory. Consequently,  the  business  element  largely 
prevailed,  and  the  company,  in  which  the  sexes  were 
evenly  balanced,  was  of  a  nature  decidedly  practical, 
and  one  in  which  abstruse,  or  psychic  questions  would 
meet  with  but  little  sympathy,  or  unbiassed  discussion. 
Our  host  introduced  us,  for  the  purpose  of  escorting 
in  to  dinner,  to  a  lady  whose  personal  appearance 
was  indicative  only  of  a  careless,  matter-of-fact  dispo- 
sition, capable  of  ridiculing  or  seriously  discussing 
any  question  that  might  arise. 

As  we  took  our  seats  and  our  neighbour  took  off 
her  gloves — 

"  I  hope,  Miss  ,"  we  said,  "  we  shall  not 

bore  one  another,  for  I  see  you  paint,  and  I  don't, 

c  a 


2O  Introduction. 

I  am  musical,  and  I  see  that  you  are  not;  that  ifl 
to  say,  that  you  prefer  catchy  melody  to  abstruse 
harmony — that  you  prefer  Sullivan  to  Wagner.  You 
also  have  a  will,  or  rather  obstinacy,  which  will  not 
let  you  give  in,  in  any  argument,  however  wrong  you 
may  be.  This  being  the  case,  do  you  choose  a  sub- 
ject, and  /will  discuss  it  and  be  convinced." 

"  Well,"  she  replied,  "  seeing  that  we  have  known 
one  another  about  four  minutes,  I  think  that  is  about 
the  coolest  speech  I  ever  heard,  but  at  the  same  time 
it  is  marvellously  correct  As  you  don't  belong  to 
this  place,  how  did  you  find  all  that  out  ?  " 

"As  you  took  off  your  gloves,  I  looked  at  your 
hands." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  she  asked,  and  at  the  same 
time  held  up  her  hands,  palms  uppermost,  as  if  to  see 
there  what  had  guided  us  in  arriving  at  a  summary 
of  her  character,  and  as  she  made  this  motion  we  con. 
tinued : — 

"I  beg  to  apologize ;  I  was  wrong ;  I  see  now  that 
we  shall  get  on  very  well,  for  you  are  imaginative  (no, 
not  romantic),  and  so  am  I,  and  that  you  have  a 
painfully  keen  sense  of  the  ridiculous,  which  is  also 
my  greatest  misfortune." 

"  This  is  a  most  extraordinary  thing,"  she  returned ; 
"  will  you  tell  me  how  you  are  analyzing  me  in  this 
personal  but  horribly  accurate  manner  ?  " 

"  It  is  quite  simple,"  we  said ;  "  with  a  view  to 
choosing  a  subject  of  conversation,  I  looked  at  your 
hands  by  the  light  of  my  favourite  science,  '  Chiro- 
gnomy.'  By  the  conical  tips  of  your  rather  square 
fingers,  and  the  firmness  with  which  your  hand  rested 
on  my  arm  as  we  came  in,  I  know  that  you  paint 


Introduction.  21 

By  the  want  of  method  and  order  shown  by  youi 
knuckles,  joined  to  the  other  facts  I  had  remarked, 
I  saw  that  you  were  not  a  deep  musician ;  and,  on  the 
top  of  these,  the  development  of  your  thumb  shows 
a  good-humoured  obstinacy ;  but  when  you  held  your 
palms  up  to  the  light,  these  two  lines  greatly  modi- 
fied and  explained  my  first  impressions." 

"This  interests  me  very  much,"  said  she;  "can 
you  tell  me  my  fortune  entirely,  like  a  gipsy  ?  " 

"  Please  do  not  say  that,"  we  answered  ;  "  fortune- 
telling  is  in  almost  every  instance  a  vulgar  swindle 
practised  by  charlatans,  or  worse,  for  the  purpose  of 
extorting  money  from  foolish  people.  Many  profes- 
sional Chiromants,  also,  consult  the  wishes  and  per- 
sonal appearance  and  circumstances  of  their  victims 
or  clients  in  expounding  their  pretended  knowledge. 
Amateurs  of  the  science,  again,  in  their  desire  to  be 
polite,  suppress  home  truths,  and  the  people  who 
present  their  hands  for  examination,  whilst  inwardly 
thankful  that  the  knowledge  evidenced  has  been  so 
slight,  think  that  the  science  is  simply  a  masquerade, 
and  its  practice  a  feat  of  assurance  on  the  part  of  the 
practitioner.  All  these  things  tend  to  bring  Chiro- 
mancy into  disrepute ;  but,  nevertheless,  the  character 
and  disposition  of  a  person  is  most  clearly  inscribed 
in  the  hand ;  events,  as  they  happen  to  us,  become 
written  there  as  with  a  quill-pen;  and  as  surely  as 
*  coming  events  cast  their  shadows  before,'  so  surely  are 
those  shadows  cast  in  the  hand.  You  might  say, 
'  The  present  and  the  past  it  may  be  possible  to  dis- 
cern, but  the  future,  no  ! '  I  answer :  '  Why  not  ? 
the  lines  do  not  become  marked  in  an  instant,  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye ;  of  a  line  which  is  destined  to 


22  Introduction 

appear,  the  root  must  necessarily  exist  somewhere  in 
the  hand,  and  it  is  the  science  of  Chiromancy  which 
enables  us  to  find  those  roots  and  distinguish  them 
from  the  lines  which  have  already  come  into  promi- 
nence. 

"You  have  asked  me  to  read  your  hand  by  this 
science.  I  warn  you  of  two  things :  first,  that  if  there 
is  anything  in  the  art  (and  I,  of  course,  firmly  believe 
that  there  is),  all  the  secrets  of  your  life  are  laid  bare 
to  my  inspection  in  your  hand ;  second,  that  whatever 
I  see  there  I  shall  tell  you  without  a  moment's  hesita- 
tion, from  the  most  complimentary  facts  to  the  most 
bitter  truths ;  if  you  have  anything  to  conceal  do  not 
show  me  your  hands ;  if  not,  and  if  after  these  remarks 
you  still  elect  to  submit  yourself  to  this  ordeal,  give 
me  your  hands,  and  if  you  repent  of  it,  on  your  own 
head  be  it ! " 

"  Well,"  she  replied,  "  I  consent,  I  will  show  you 
my  hand ;  but  at  the  same  time  this  question  must  now 
stand  adjourned  till  after  dinner.  Tell  me  something 
about  the  other  people  present." 

"  I  can  only  tell  you  the  outlines  of  the  characters 
around  us.  Of  course  the  superficial  examination  of 
the  external  formations  of  a  collection  of  hands 
cannot  be  infallible,  but,  as  far  as  it  can,  here  goes. 
That  old  gentleman  over  there  is  hard,  calculating, 
and  dictatorial ;  but  if  he  has  any  near  relations,  they 
find  him  amiable  and  tractable  away  from  his  busi- 
ness, which  is  mechanical  and  scientific." 

"Very  true,"  replied  our  neighbour;  "he  is  my 
uncle,  a  dear  old  gentleman,  a  civil  engineer  of  great 
experience  and  some  celebrity." 

"The  lady  next  to   him  is  a  blue-stocking,  pre- 


Introduction.  23 

lumably  a  spinster,  accustomed  to  command,  but 
underneath  kind  and  sympathetic;  the  gentleman 
next  her  is  in  business,  a  clever  and  clear-headed 
man  ;  the  lady  on  the  other  side  of  him  is  a  pianiste, 
headstrong  and  passionate,  but  the  embodiment  of 
good-nature;  she  is  also  inquisitive,  and  nervous. 
How  are  we  getting  on  ?  " 

"  The  first  lady  you  pointed  out,"  was  the  answer, 
"  is  the  principal  of  a  girls'  school  close  by ;  the  man 
in  the  middle  I  don't  know ;  the  third  is  my  sister, 
and  there  you  were  quite  right." 

The  conversation  then  flowed  into  other  channels, 
and  we  did  not  return  to  the  subject  till  a  few  days 
afterwards  when  we  met  at  a  garden-party  in  another 

place,  and  Miss claimed  the  fulfilment  of  the 

promise ;  we  took  her  hand,  and,  with  her  permission, 
we  recapitulate  the  most  important  of  the  events  we 
saw  there.* 

u  You  were  born  under  extraordinary  circum- 
stances, and,  at  the  moment  of  your  birth,  your  life 
was  in  danger  from  some  external  cause  ;  that  is,  the 
danger  was  not  constitutional — you  were  a  strong, 
healthy  baby." 

"  Very  true,"  replied  our  victim ;  "  I  was  born  in  the 

Indian  Mutiny ;  my  mother  was  flying  from  , 

and  I  was  born  during  the  flight." 

"  Your  health  has  always  been  generally  excellent, 
though  you  are  subject  to  headaches ;  you  were,  how- 

*  It  should  be  remarked  that  the  following  observations  are 
from  the  hands  of  three  separate  ladies,  all  somewhat  alike  in 
disposition.  For  convenience  sake,  and  so  as  not  to  publish  a 
recognizable  portrait,  we  condense  the  trio  in  the  subjoined 
diagnosis. 


24  Introduction. 

ever,  very  ill  at  five  years  old,  and  at  nineteen  you 
nearly  died  of  brain-fever." 

"  Quite  right,  excepting  that  my  first  illness  was  at 
six  instead  of  five." 

u  Once  in  your  life  you  were  nearly  drowned.  In 
disposition  you  are  bright  and  joyous,  but  if  anything 
goes  wrong,  you  worry  over  it  for  a  long  time  instead 
of  making  the  best  of  it.  You  are  very  self-willed,  and 
act  on  impulse ;  it  was  this  that  made  you  crush  your 
first  and  only  love-affair.  Please  do  not  correct  me — 
I  am.  certain  of  it.  You  have  no  idea  of  time.  Out- 
wardly you  are  exceedingly  untidy;  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  you  always  know  exactly  where  everything  is. 
You  are  by  no  means  superstitious,  and  when  I  first 
broached  this  subject,  you  thougU  it  interesting  but 
silly,  that  was  impulse ;  your  better  reason  now  tells 
you  that  there  is  a  great  deal  in  it  I  think  all  I  have 
said  so  far  is  correct" 

"  I  am  afraid,  and  at  the  same  time  I  am  thankful, 
that  it  is." 

"  Your  line  of  fortune  is  well-marked ;  your  luck  is 
principally  derived  from  your  accident  on  the  water 
somewhere,  but  though  your  heart  and  your  common 
sense  are  good,  your  obstinacy  and  self-will  will 
always  be  your  worst  enemies.  Your  life  will  be  of 
average  length ;  you  will  meet  with  an  accident  to 
your  head  at  thirty-five ;  you  will  go  two  long  voyages  j 
and  when  you  marry — as  you  will  do — your  family  will 
be  five  in  number.  On  the  whole,  I  congratulate  you 
on  your  past,  present,  and  future." 

The  past,  which  had  been  brought  up  to  this  lady, 
she  admitted  was  perfectly  accurate ;  the  future,  as  is 
usual,  she  refused  to  believe,  but  in  after  years  she 


Introduction.  25 

may  see  these  pages  and  remember  the  occasion. 

She  has  just  left  England  unexpectedly  for , 

and  thus  the  future  begins  to  answer  its  foreshadowing 
in  her  hand. 

If  the  science  whose  action  and  results  are  illus- 
trated by  the  above  citation  of  facts  is  merely  an 
amusement,  a  frivolous  charlatanry  based  on  the 
doctrine  of  chances,  it  cannot  fail  to  be  pernicious  in 
the  extreme,  and  on  that  account  ought  to  be  put 
down  by  the  highest  authority,  as  tending  toward* 
popular  scepticism  and  superstition;  but  if,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  doctrines  which  it  teaches  and  the 
principles  which  govern  it  are  true,  ought  it  not  to 
receive  greater  credence  and  a  more  widespread 
indoctrination,  for  by  its  means  the  natural  tendencies 
being  discovered,  the  education  may  so  be  directed 
as  to  develop  those  tendencies,  instead  of  crushing 
them,  by  a  misconceived  idea  of  the  direction  of  the 
natural  talents? 

Our  fathers  would,  and  did  laugh  the  new-born 
science  to  scorn,  but  the  increasing  wisdom  of  gene- 
rations commences  to  look  upon  this  and  kindred 
subjects  v/ith  a  less  sceptic  and  more  analytical  eye 
We  say  the  "new-bom  science,"  for  although  the 
science  of  Palmistry,  in  a  greater  or  less  state  of 
development,  has  existed  ever  since  the  days  of  the 
ancient  Egyptians,  it  is  only  comparatively  recently 
that  the  exertions  of  such  men  as  D'Arpentigny,  the 
Chirognomist,  and  Desbarolles,  the  Chiromant,  have 
elevated  the  Science  of  the  Hand  to  a  position 
worthy  the  consideration  of  learned  men. 

We  consider  that  the  time  will  come,  nay,  is  not 
far  distant,  when  all  men  will  be  imbued  with  the 


a6  Introduction* 

importance  of  this  knowledge,  for  when  a  large 
number  of  men  have  proved,  in  their  intercoursv  with 
their  fellow-creatures,  the  importance  and  value  of  the 
advantage  they  derive  over  the  rest  by  an  acquaint- 
ance with  such  sciences  as  Chiromancy,  Phrenology, 
and  Physiognomy,  the  rest,  to  participate  in  those 
advantages,  and  in  self-defence,  will  also  acquire  the 
requisite  knowledge,  and  the  affairs  of  the  world  will 
be  based  not  on  the  account  a  man  gives  of  himself, 
or  gets  given  of  himself  by  his  friends,  but  by  his 
true  character,  written  in  legible  characters  on  his 
head,  his  face,  and  in  his  hands. 

Chirognomy  especially  is  worthy  of  attention,  for 
whilst  it  requires  the  submission  of  the  person  to  be 
experimented  on  to  effect  a  Phrenological  or  Chiro- 
mantic  examination,  the  student  of  Chirognomy  has 
only  to  glance  at  the  hands  of  his  neighbour,  whether 
they  be  occupied  or  quiescent,  to  arrive  at  a  complete 
analysis  of  the  general  outlines  of  his  character. 
Subsequently  Chiromancy  comes  in  and  tells  us  the 
minute  events  which  have  passed  in  a  lifetime,  that 
is  if  the  subject  will  surrender  his  hand,  but  the 
Chirognomist  can  measure  an  opponent  and  analyze 
a  character  without  the  subject  of  the  scrutiny  being 
even  aware  that  he  is  undergoing  an  examination,  and 
being  read  like  an  open  book,  as  in  the  opening 
episode  of  the  narrative  which  commences  this  Intro- 
ductioa 

It  has  often  been  remarked  by  men  of  science  and 
religion,  that  it  is  not  allowed  to  presumptuous  Man 
to  pry  thus  into  the  secrets  of  the  Most  High.  To 
them  we  have  always  answered,  as  firra  conviction 
has  dictated  that  an  all-seeing  Creator  has  not  given 


Introduction.  27 

us  these  indications  to  be  passed  over  and  not  con- 
strued. "  In  manu  omnium  Deus  signa  posuit  ut 
noverint  singuli  opera  sua,"  says  Job  (chap.  37,  v.  7); 
but  these  revelations  have  not  been  given  us  to  be 
dealt  with  lightly;  they  have  been  placed  for  our 
instruction  and  use,  but  veiled  from  crass  intelli- 
gences, that  man  may  by  his  own  efforts  take  advan- 
tage of  the  powers  conferred  upon  him  for  his  own 
protection  and  instruction,  and  that  of  those  with 
whom  his  walk  in  life  is  cast 


PART  I. 

CHIROGNOMY. 


PART  L 

CHIROGNOMY. 

M  Manus  membrum  hominis  loquacissimom." 
CHAPTER  I. 

CF  THE    HAND   GENERALLY;    AND    PARTICULARLY  OP 
THE   PALM   AND   FINGERS. 

CHIROGNOMY,  understood  as  distinct  from  Chiro- 
mancy, is  the  science  by  which  we  can  tell  the 
dispositions,  proclivities,  characters,  and  occupations 
of  those  with  whom  we  are  thrown  in  contact,  by  the 
mere  actual  shape  of  the  hands,  their  outward  appear- 
ances, and  the  impressions  they  give  to  the  senses  of 
vision  and  touch.  D'Arpentigny  was  the  great  high 
priest  of  this  branch  of  the  science  (as  Desbarrolles 
was  of  the  other),  and  he  divided  all  hands  into  seven 
categories,  as  follows : — 

i.  The  Elementary  (or  Large-palmed), 
a.  The  Necessary  (or  Spatulate). 

3.  The  Artistic  (or  Conical). 

4.  The  Useful  (or  Square) 


32  Chirognomy. 

5.  The  Philosophical  (or  Knotty). 

6.  The  Psychic  (or  Pointed). 

7.  The  Mixed  Hand. 


If  the  palm  of  the  hand  is  too  meagre  and  narrow, 
it  shows  a  feeble  disposition,  wanting  in  versatility  or 
fertility  of  conception,  a  nature  of  weak  passions,  and 
without  power ;  if  it  is  supple  and  of  a  thickness  and 
size  in  proportion  with  the  fingers  and  the  rest  of  the 
body,  it  denotes  aptitude  and  brightness  of  idea ;  if, 
though  still  supple,  the  mounds  and  general  develop- 
ments are  too  marked  and  gross,  it  betrays  sensuality 
and  egotism ;  and  if  at  the  other  extreme  it  is  too  big, 
too  fat  and  gross  in  itself,  it  indicates  a  character  void 
of  refinement,  and  instincts  inclining  to  animality. 
This  delicacy  of  hand  or  foot  carries  itself  even  to 
the  lower  animals,  for  whilst  horses,  asses,  mules, 
cows,  pigs,  and  other  animals  noted  for  their 
stupidity  have  but  solid  horn  feet,  the  higher 
animals,  and  those  possessing  most  instinct,  such 
as  the  felidae,  dogs,  monkeys,  and  the  like,  have 
their  feet  more  or  less  articulated  and  delicate  as 
they  stand  higher  or  lower  in  the  grade  of  animal 
intelligence. 

The  fingers,  again,  are  smooth,  or  knotted,  and, 
among  the  latter,  some  hands  have  fingers  with  two 
knots,  and  others  with  only  one.  If  your  second 
joints  (i.e.,  those  nearest  the  nails)  are  developed,  you 
have  a  well-ordered  mind ;  if  both  joints  are  developed, 
this  orderliness  and  method  are  the  more  pronounced. 
With  both  joints  well  developed  you  will  be  punctual, 
tidy,  systematic,  and  methodical  in  your  course  of 
action.  If  you  have  no  knots  in  your  fingers,  /.«.,  if 


The  Hand  Generally.  33 

neither  joint  is  developed,  your  natural  tendency  will 
be  towards  art,  and  your  course  of  action  will  be 
rather  inspired  than  reasoned  out ;  you  will  be  guided 
oy  fancy  and  sentiment  rather  than  knowledge.  Good 
taste  (intellectually)  belongs  to  knotted  fingers,  natural 
grace  to  smooth. 

The  fingers,  whether  knotted  or  smooth,  have  the 
third  phalange  (that  which  bears  the  nail)  either 
pointed,  conical,  square,  or  spatulated.  Take  two 
hands  both  spatulated,  but  one  smooth  and  the  other 
knotty.  Both  subjects  *  will  be  active,  will  have  an 
aptitude  for  physical  activity,  and  an  inclination  to 
regard  things  from  their  useful,  practical  side.  Both 
will  appreciate  things  real,  physical  force,  calculation, 
sciences  natural,  experimental,  and  physical,  and  so 
on.  But  the  subject  with  smooth  fingers  will  succeed 
in  these  arts  by  inspiration,  spontaneity,  locomotion ; 
whilst  the  one  with  jointed  or  knotty  fingers  will  suc- 
ceed by  calculation,  reasoning,  and  probability. 

Now  take  two  other  subjects  :  these  have  square 
tips  to  their  fingers,  but  those  of  the  one  are  smooth) 
and  those  of  the  other  jointed.  Both,  by  reason  of 
the  square  fingers,  have  tastes  for  moral  sciences, 
politics  social  and  philosophical,  didactic,  dramatic 
and  exact  poetry,  grammar,  languages,  logic — in  fact, 
the  lighter  forms  of  things  useful  and  practical  They 
prefer  that  things  should  be  exact  and  complete  than 
grand  and  magnificent;  tney  have  an  aptitude  for 
business,  respect  of  persons,  positive  but  moderate 
ideas  ;  they  like  to  discover  rather  than  to  imagine,  to 

*  By  subject,  we  indicate  in  the  following  pages  the  person 
being  operated  upon,  i.e.  submitting  his  or  her  hand  to  tht 
Cbiromantic  examination. 

D 


34  Chirognomy. 

theorize  rather  than  to  act  on  impulse  or  by  calcula- 
tion. They  never  attain  the  most  glorious  poetic 
flights,  but  they  excel  in  literature,  sciences,  and  the 
more  exact  arts.  The  subject  with  smooth  fingers 
will  pursue  rather  literature,  considered  as  literature 
only,  and  will  pursue  his  tastes  with  spontaneity, 
whilst  the  one  with  knotted  fingers  will  proceed  as 
before  by  calculation  and  with  reason,  excelling  in 
history,  geography,  social  science,  and  the  like. 

Given :  two  subjects,  one  spatulate,  the  other  square, 
the  former  will  be  the  more  simple  but  the  less  polite ; 
he  will  have  greater  freedom  but  less  elegance. 

Take  now  a  subject  having  smooth  fingers  ending 
conically,  or  like  a  thimble.  You  will  find  the  fine 
arts,  sculpture,  vigorous  painting,  and  monumental 
architecture,  imaginative  but  reasonable  poetry,  love 
of  the  beautiful  from  its  sensible  and  reasonable  point 
of  view,  romance,  dislike  of  abstruse  calculation,  love 
of  independence,  enthusiasm  sometimes  subject  to 
fantasy.  If  the  hand,  instead  of  being  smooth,  be 
knotty,  you  will  find  the  same  tendencies,  but  with 
more  moral  force  «nd  character. 

If  knotted  fingers  have  the  outer  phalange  square 
and  pointed,  they  indicate  a  nature  prone  to  specula- 
tive ideas,  meditation,  and  the  most  philosophical 
sciences.  They  indicate  love  of  stern  truth,  poetry 
of  reason  and  thought,  logic,  independence,  religious, 
social,  and  political,  deism,  democracy  and  liberty. 
This  is  what  we  call  the  philosophic  hand,  and  is  more 
theoretical  than  practical. 

Here  is  another  hand,  this  time  with  smooth 
fingers,  and  having  the  third  phalange  very  pointed 
and  drawn  out.  Here  we  have  ideality,  religion,  and 


The  Hand  Generally.  35 

contemplation  in  their  highest  development,  indifier- 
ence  to  material  interests,  poetry  of  soul  and  heart, 
desire  for  love  and  liberty,  adoration  of  the  beautiful 
in  the  "  hysterical "  abstract  We  call  this  the  psychic 
band,  which  is  absolutely  ideal  and  unpractical. 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  spatulate  and 
square  ringers  monopolize  matter  and  reality,  f.e. 
industries,  and  useful  and  necessary  arts,  action,  theory 
based  on  fads,  and  intellectual  science,  whilst  conical 
and  pointed  fingers  indicate — the  first ;  art,  by  love  of 
the  beautiful  in  its  actuality,  and  the  second ;  the  true 
and  beautiful,  in  their  inner  significance,  and  the  most 
ideal  and  lofty  poetry  and  idealism. 

A  hand  which  is  hard  and  stiff,  and  has  a  difficulty 
in  opening  to  its  full  extension,  indicates  obstinacy 
and  stubbornness.  A  large  hand  indicates  love  of 
minutiae  and  detail ;  a  medium  hand  takes  in  details, 
but  also  appreciates  entirety.  Amongst  musical 
people  the  most  correct  and  learned  musicians  have 
square  fingers ;  instrumentation,  whether  it  be  the  art 
of  performing,  or  composing  for  instruments,  is  in- 
variably found  in  spatulate  fingers;  whilst  singers  have 
nearly  always  the  third  phalange  pointed.  Thus  it 
will  be  understood,  that  whilst  knots  beautify  and 
improve  a  spatulate  or  square-fingered  hand,  on 
account  of  their  natural  usefulness  and  aptitude  for 
combination,  to  have  the  joints  largely  developed 
would  be  a  deformity  and  misfortune  ko  a  pointed 
or  conical-fingered  hand,  seeing  that  the  latter  are 
devoted  to  the  finer  and  more  liberal  arts,  which 
necessarily  succeed  best  when  they  are  the  offspring 
of  inspiration  and  spontaneity. 

The  inherent  natural  shape  of  a  hand  never  alters, 

D    2 


36  Chirognomy. 

Its  concomrtant  conditions  may  be  changed  by  the 
subject  being  forced  into  an  occupation  the  opposite 
of  his  genius,  inclination,  and  natural  tendency,  but 
the  original  aptitude,  and  the  form  of  finger  which 
denotes  it,  always  remain.  Thus :  If  a  subject 
obviously  inclined  towards,  and  born  for,  poetry  or 
art  be  forced  by  circumstances  to  become  an  engineer, 
or  to  pursue  any  other  practical  employment,  the  hand 
will  become  hard,  gross,  and  mechanical,  but  the 
pointed  smooth  shape  will  still  remain  undisguised. 

Take  the  absolute  rustic,  free  as  air,  without  thought 
or  mental  cares  of  any  kind,  his  hand  will  be  spatu- 
late  or  square,  with  large  joints.  Take  the  circus- 
rider,  juggler,  gymnast,  dancer,  rider,  and  so  on,  his 
hand  will  be  either  spatulate  and  smooth,  or  large  and 
conical,  and  very  hard,  for  these  possess  a  kind  of 
rugged,  instinctive  grace.  Amongst  literary  men  and 
women  the  hands  will  be  formed  according  to  the 
subjects  on  which,  and  the  styles  in  which,  they 
write. 

It  would  be  easy  to  pursue  this  theme,  had  we  time 
and  space  for  it,  ad  infinitum ;  but  though  we  might 
make  ourselves  clearer  on  the  subject,  we  should 
necessarily  be  obliged  to  repeat  ourselves.  An  intel- 
ligent perusal  and  comprehension  of  this  chapter  will 
give  the  reader  every  necessary  information  concern- 
ing the  palm  and  fingers  of  the  hand,  from  a  general 
point  of  view,  so  that  we  can  now  proceed  to  the  con- 
sideration of  the  most  important  part  of  the  hand,  to 
which  we  shall  devote  an  entire  chapter,  and  that  ii 
THE  THUMB. 


Th*  Thumb.  37 


CHAPTER  IL 

OF    THE    THUMB. 

•*  In  default  of  other  proofs,  the  thumb  would  convince  me  ol 
the  existence  of  God." — ISAAC  NEWTON. 

THE  Thumb  is  the  most  essential  part  of  the  human 
hand,  for  without  it  the  fingers  would  be  comparatively 
useless.  It  is  the  thumb  which  constitutes  the  great 
difference  between  the  hand  of  man  and  the  foot  of 
the  higher  animals ;  the  nearest  approach  to  the 
human  thumb,  i.e.,  the  monkey's,  is  short,  and  almost 
immobile,  and,  therefore,  as  compared  with  the 
human  thumb,  is  almost  reduced  to  the  rank  of  a 
fifth  finger,  or  nail.  The  ancient  Romans  used  to 
denote  a  coward  by  the  words  "  pollice  truncatus  " 
(a  man  with  his  thumb  cut  off),  a  term  which  had  its 
origin  in  the  practice  of  certain  pusillanimous  slaves, 
who  used  to  cut  off  their  thumbs  to  avoid  being 
sent  to  the  wars,  they  being  considered  unfit  for  any- 
thing after  suffering  this  disfigurement ;  and  it  is  from 
this  phrase  that  is  derived  our  English  word  pol- 
troon, through  the  French  poltron.  In  the  human 
thumb  lie  the  indications  of  his  will  and  intellect ; 
people  who  are  born  idiots  come  into  the  world  either 
without  thumbs  or  with  their  thumbs  quite  abortive 
and  useless.  A  baby,  before  it  can  exercise  its  will, 
it  will  be  observed,  always  keeps  its  fingers  closed 
over  its  thumbs,  whereas  a  reasoning  man,  wheji 
exercising  his  wiP  or  determination,  almost  invariably 


38  Chirognomy. 

closes  his  thumb  across  his  fingers.  Epileptic  patient! 
during  their  fits  always  fold  their  thumbs  inside  their 
hands ;  indeed,  the  approach  of  their  fits  are  often 
heralded  by  the  preliminary  folding  of  their  thumbs ; 
and.  people  at  the  approach  of  death  almost  always 
hide  their  thumbs  in  their  hands.  At  the  root  of  the 
thumb,  says  the  twin  science  Chiromancy,  (q.v.  Mount 
of  Venus),  lie  the  indications  more  or  less  developed 
of  a  tendency  to  love ;  and  is  not  love  only  an  exercise 
of  the  will,  amounting  to  longing  ?  The  first  phalange 
we  denominate  the  phalange  of  logic,  i.e.,  perception, 
judgment,  and  reason,  whilst  in  the  second  (or  outer) 
phalange  we  look  for  the  indications  of  will,  inven- 
tion, decision,  and  prompt  action. 

The  Romans,  again,  to  return  to  their  recogni- 
tion of  the  thumb  as  an  indication  of  will,  used  it  in 
their  gladiatorial  displays,  to  show,  by  its  erection  or 
depression,  their  will  concerning  the  defeated  com- 
batant. If  the  second  or  outer  phalange  of  your 
thumb  be  narrow,  mean,  and  short,  your  will  is  a 
weak  one  ;  you  are  prone  to  accept  received  notions, 
to  be  guided  by  others;  you  are  doubtful,  uncertain, 
and  indifferent.  People  whose  thumbs  are  small  are 
more  sentimental  than  others  whose  thumbs  are  in 
proportion,  or  large,  and  they  act  more  on  impulse 
than  reflexion ;  those  whose  thumbs  are  large  have 
consequently  exactly  opposite  characteristics.  A  large 
thumb  usually  indicates  independence,  a  tendency 
towards  despotism,  presence  of  power,  but  powei  born 
of  force,  not  of  charm.  Following  these  reasonings 
you  will  find  that  persons  with  a  taste  for  the  occult 
sciences  have  large  thumbs. 

Any  one  who  has  smooth  fingers  and  a  small  thumb 


Tlie  Thumb.  39 

has  (whatever  may  be  the  form  of  the  third  phalange 
of  his  fingers)  an  inborn  tendency  to  poetry  and  art, 
though  he  may  not  have  the  talent  to  cultivate  them. 
We  know  an  eminent  literary  man  whose  ideas  in 
general  are  of  the  most  matter-of-fact  description, 
who  sits  wrapt  and  spell-bound  at  hearing  beautiful 
music  or  poetry,  though  he  has  not  the  least  talent  for 
either  of  these  arts ;  his  fingers  are  smooth,  but 
spatulate  with  small  thumbs.  Subjects  with  conical 
or  pointed  fingers  and  large  thumbs  temper  their 
idealism  and  art  by  deduction  and  reason ;  in  fact, 
their  temperament  resembles  that  of  subjects  with 
square -fingers,  but  a  small  thumb. 

Carrying,  therefore,  your  mind  back  to  what  we 
said  concerning  the  characteristics  indicated  by  the 
forms  of  the  fingers,  you  will  arrive  at  this  deduction, 
that  the  subject  with  smooth,  conical,  or  pointed 
fingers  will  have  the  characteristics  of  that  form  the 
more  strongly  developed  if  he  has  also  a  small  thumb, 
whilst  the  subject  with  knotted  fingers,  terminating 
squarely  or  in  spatule,  will  be  the  more  powerfully 
addicted  to  the  tendencies  of  that  form,  if  to  them 
he  adds  a  thumb  which  is  large.  Thus  by  their  nature 
people  with  large  thumbs  can  produce  results  unnatural 
to  them  more  easily  than  those  with  small ;  for  example, 
a  large-thumbed  mechanican  may  bring  himself  to 
write  poetry,  but  a  small-thumbed  poet  can  never  be- 
come a  practical  calculator 


40  Chirognomy. 


CHAPTER  IIL 

OF  THE  CONSISTENCY   OF   HANDS. 

BY  consistency,  we  mean  the  impression  produced  by 
a  hand  upon  the  sense  of  touch.  Thus  two  hands 
may  be  of  the  same  size  and  shape,  the  fingers  of 
both  formed  and  terminating  in  the  same  manner, 
but  with  this  difference ;  that  one  hand  is  soft  and 
supple,  whilst  the  other  is  firm,  almost  to  hardness. 
Take  two  hands  with  spatulate  fingers  possess- 
ing this  difference ;  they  both  have  the  tendency 
towards  action,  but  the  soft  hand  will  affect  a  temper- 
ate movement  and  activity,  whilst  the  hard-handed 
subject  will  tend  towards  energy  and  powerful 
action.  The  soft-handed  subject  will  be  active,  but 
take  his  full  share  of  sleep,  whilst  the  hard-handed 
one  will  rise  with  the  lark  to  be  up  and  doing.  Take 
two  artists  in  the  same  way ;  the  hard-handed  one 
will  execute  works  showing  manly  occupations  and 
phases  of  life ;  he  of  the  soft  hands  will  be  less 
practical  in  his  subjects,  but  more  diverse,  more 
proneto  ideas  of  the  moment  and  fancy,  and  possess 
more  delicacy.  People  with  soft  hands  always  have 
the  little  fleshy  ball  on  the  face  of  the  outer  phalanges 
more  developed,  and  this  seems  to  give  them  better 
taste  and  tact.  People  with  hard  hands  are  seldom, 
if  ever,  polished  and  gentle  in  manner,  but  they  are 
often  good-natured  and  sensitive ;  those  with  fat,  soft 
hands  are  usually  indolent,  luxurious,  and  of  stagnant 


The  Consistency  of  Hands.  41 

intellect  As  we  grow  old  and  careworn,  our  hands, 
as  a  rule,  become  hard,  or,  at  least,  firm-skinned  and 
stiff.  This  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  our  im- 
agination fades,  our  sense  of  the  poetic  and  beautiful 
becomes  less  keen,  and  from  artistic  and  imaginative 
amusements  we  turn  to  tastes  for  arrangement  of 
house  and  home,  gardening  and  the  like ;  and  it  is 
particularly  noticeable,  and  always  has  been,  that  in 
numberless  instances  men  with  great  intellects  have, 
as  their  minds  have  faded,  been  taken  with  a  love  of 
manual  labour,  which  shows  itself  in  gardening  par- 
ticularly, the  hands  becoming  parchmenty  and 
ossified,  apart  from  the  question  of  natural  decay ; 
in  the  same  way,  as  with  age,  our  joints  become  more 
prominent,  we  get  less  open  to  impressions,  less 
credulous,  and  more  argumentative  and  logical. 

Subjects  with  hard  hands  are  capable  of  true  and 
ardent  love,  though  they  are  seldom  capable  of  much 
tenderness;  smooth-handed  people,  on  the  other  hand, 
are  more  capable  of  tenderness  and  affection  than 
deep  love.  The  beau  ideal  of  a  hand  is  that  which 
is  firm  without  being  hard,  and  supple  without  being 
soft,  such  hands  as  this  betoken  a  liberal  intelligence 
and  active  mind,  such  subjects  combine  theory  and 
practice ;  and  however  much  they  may  work  with 
their  fingers  their  hands  hardly  ever  harden,  and  then 
only  very  slowly,  whereas  hands  already  very  firm 
have  a  great  tendency  to  become  very  hard.  Accord- 
ing, therefore,  to  their  temperament  (shown  in  the 
consistency  of  their  hands)  people  cultivate  the  talents 
and  tendencies  to  which  the  formation  of  their  fingers 
and  hands  generally  incline  them. 

A  large,  soft  hand  with  spatulated  fingers  evidence* 


42  Chirognomy. 

*  love  of  action,  but  not  of  its  own  activity.     Such 

*  subject  enjoys  looking  on  at  reviews,  at  athletics, 
and  at  games  of  skill  without  taking  part  in  them ;  he 
likes  to  read  books  of  travels  and  adventures,  but 
does  not  embark  upon  them  himself. 

Thus,  therefore,  it  will  be  seen  that  though  the 
icr/ns  of  the  hand  betoken  certain  tastes  and 
rharacteristics,  we  must  look  to  the  consistency  of  the 
hand  to  see  how  those  tastes  are  cultivated,  and  how 
i  hose  characteristics  develop  themselves.  Having 
now  discussed  the  characteristics  of  various  hands, 
we  will  proceed  to  consider  the  seven  types  which, 
lollowing  D'Arpentigny,  we  set  down  categorically  at 
iLj  beginning  of  these  chapters  on  Chirognomy. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

OF  THE   SEVEN   TYPES   OF  HANDS. 

I.  THE  ELEMENTARY  HAND  (Fig.  i).  —  The 
characteristics  of  this  hand  are  thick,  stiff  fingers, 
a  short  thumb,  generally  turned  back,  large,  broad, 
and  thick  palm,  very  hard.  Such  is  the  hand  of  the 
labourer,  the  stableman,  the  soldier  who  fights  only 
for  fighting's  sake,  the  colonist  who  merely  exists  in 
a  foreign  clime  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow.  Such  sub- 
jects understand  nothing  but  the  grossly  material 
aspect  of  things  ;  they  are  inaccessible  to  reason, 
their  virtues  are  negative,  they  conform  to  rules  from 


FIG.  i. 


The  Seven  Types  of  Hands.  4^ 

sheer  want  of  originality.  Such  a  hand  betrays 
heaviness  of  soul,  sluggish  imagination,  and  complete 
indifference.  The  Laplanders  are  almost  without 
exception  of  this  type  ;  amongst  the  warm,  intelligent, 
poetic  East  Indians  this  type  is  practically  unknown. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  warm  latitudes  (such  as  ours) 
the  hand  absolutely  elementary  is  exceedingly  rare, 
excepting  among  the  Tartars  and  Sclavs,  whose 
instincts  and  ferocity  are  merely  brutal  The  subject 
with  elementary  hands  is  subject  to  superstitions  more 
or  less  poetic,  according  as  the  fingers  are  more  or 
less  conic ;  and  they,  of  all  other  types,  succumb 
most  readily  to  griefs  and  disappointments,  being 
utterly  void  of  resources. 

II.  THE  SPATULATE  HAND  (Fig.  2). — First  take 
a  spatulate  hand  with  a  big  thumb.  This  sub- 
ject is  resolute  rather  than  resigned,  and  is  always 
ready  to  take  measures  to  avert  the  ills  which  flesh  is 
heir  to,  of  which  measures  the  conic  hand  knows 
nothing.  He  has  great  confidence  in  himself,  and 
there  is  this  great  difference  between  the  Elementary 
and  the  Spatulate  Hand — the  former  seeks  only  the 
necessary,  the  latter  desires  and  strives  after  abun- 
dance. The  spatulate  subject  possesses  the  instinct 
of  self-preservation  highly  developed,  and  he  rules  the 
world  of  things  material  by  natural  intelligence  and 
material  instinct  Such  a  subject,  having  senses  more 
active  than  delicate,  finds  it  easier  to  be  constant  and 
faithful  in  love  than  it  is  for  souls  inclined  to  poesie : 
he  is,  in  fact,  more  amenable  to  duty  and  custom 
than  sensitive  to  the  charms  of  youth  and  beauty. 
Fingers  smooth,  but  spatulate  indicate  an  appreciation 
for  elegance  as  well  as  comfort ;  but  an  appreciation 


46  Chirognomy. 

of  fashionable  rathei  than  artistic  elegance.  Such 
hands  are  commoner  in  Scotland  than  in  England, 
in  England  than  in  France,  and  in  France  than  in 
Spain,  as  also  they  are  commoner  in  mountainous 
than  in  plane  countries.  People  with  spatulated 
fingers  make  excellent  colonists,  for  they  are  not 
tendered  flighty  by  tastes  for  poetry  and  art ;  they 
only  become  attached  to  the  ground  on  account  of  its 
products  ,  they  love  manual  labour  and  action  of  all 
kinds ;  they  suffer  unless  they  have  abundance,  but  do 
not  seek  after  superfluous  advantages,  for  they  are 
only  very  moderately  sensual,  and  are  more  prone  to 
be  greedy  than  epicurean.  Their  love  of  locomotion 
reconciles  them  to  their  self-imposed  exile,  ready  for 
all  events,  and  accustomed  to  count  on  themselves ; 
they  have  no  objection  to  solitude,  and  they  are 
clever  at  all  physical  sciences,  attaching  themselves 
in  life  only  to  those  things  that  are  immovable  and 
constant 

The  spatulate  fingered  subject  admires  architecture 
for  its  quantity  rathei  than  its  quality,  preferring  the 
immense  to  the  beautiful.  He  likes  to  be  astonished, 
and  to  contemplate  work*  which  make  him  think  of 
the  immense  amount  of  physical  labour  which  must 
have  been  employed  to  construct  them.  The  artist 
is  sunk  in  the  artisan,  opulence  predominates  over 
luxury;  wherever  this  type  is  found,  i.e.,  the  large 
hand  with  spatulate  fingers  and  a  large  thumb,  these 
same  predilections  will  be  the  guiding  rule  of  that 
subject's  life,  the  useful  rather  than  the  ornamental, 
the  necessary  rather  than  the  superfluous,  the  actual 
rather  than  the  ideal.  If  the  thumb  be  small  their 
active  physical  instincts  will  be  more  unrestrained  but 


FIG.  a. 


The  Seven  Types  of  Hands.  49 

less  pronounced  and  forcible,  partaking  more  of  the 
nature  of  the  square  hand  (q.v.). 

III.  THE  ARTISTIC  HAND  (Fig.  3).  —  This 
hand  has  three  tendencies,  which  are  very  dif- 
ferent to  one  another,  but  only  marked  by  slight 
distinctions  in  the  hand  itself.  These  are : — (i.)  A 
supple  hand  and  a  small  thumb  with  a  medium  palm 
indicating  love  of  beauty,  and  particularly  of  form, 
(ii.)  Large,  short,  and  thick  with  a  large  thumb  be- 
trays a  desire  for  riches,  fortune,  and  greatness,  (iii.) 
Large  and  very  firm  hands  mean  a  tendency  to  sensu- 
ality. All  three  are  governed  by  inspiration,  and  are 
ill-adapted  to  the  mechanical  arts.  The  first  is 
actuated  by  enthusiasm,  the  second  by  stratagem  and 
scheme,  and  the  third  by  the  suggestion  of  pleasure. 
Barring  these  differences  of  characteristic,  the  tenden- 
cies of  these  hands  are  the  same,  though  the  most 
characteristic  is  that  which  has  the  fingers  large  at  the 
first  phalange  and  narrowing  to  a  more  or  less  obtuse 
cone.  The  thumb  is  small  and  the  palm  is  moderately 
developed.  Such  a  subject  will  attach  himself,  by 
instinct  and  without  consideration,  to  the  beautiful 
aspect  of  ideas  and  things ;  he  will  prefer  the  orna»* 
mental  to  the  useful  without  much  regard  for  reality, 
greedy  of  leisure,  novelty,  and  liberty ;  at  the  same 
time  ardent  and  timid,  humble  and  vain,  he  is  ener- 
getic and  impulsive  rather  than  powerful  or  forcible  ; 
his  spirits  are  apt  to  plunge  from  ecstasy  to  despair, 
unable  to  command,  but  incapable  of  obedience ;  he  is 
attracted  rather  than  led  by  duty.  He  is  enthusiastic 
and  cannot  put  up  with  the  restraints  of  regular,  and 
what  we  might  call,  domestic  life ;  his  thoughts  are 
sentiments  rather  than  ideas  ;  light-hearted  and  original 


50  Chirognouiy. 

he  has  generally  a  warm  imagination,  but  a  cold  heart, 
Such  a  combination  of  unrestrained  instincts  of 
pleasure  and  want  of  moral  stamina  is  therefore  the 
character  of  artists  in  general,  or,  at  any  rate,  those 
who  live  only  for  their  art  They  only  have  to  like  a 
thing  to  adore  it ;  they  submit,  as  a  rule,  to  faith  and 
orthodoxy  because  thus  they  are  saved  the  trouble  of 
reasoning ;  but  they  are  intolerant  of  political  des- 
potism, because  of  the  actual  restraints  it  places  upon 
them.  This  love  of  art  is  the  first  emotion  to  which 
an  uncultivated  mind  is  amenable  ;  a  love  of  form  and 
beauty  often  exists  among  savage  tribes  who  are 
wanting  in  the  utter  rudiments  of  civilization,  and  for 
this  reason  it  is  the  most  engrossing  and  powerful  of 
all  human  tendencies  ;  races  who  are  too  lazy  to 
cultivate  any  other  taste  cling  tenaciously  to  and 
highly  develop  this  one ;  it  is  thus  that  among  the 
ignorant  artistic  peasantry  of  Southern  Europe  that 
this  type  of  hand,  modifying  the  elementary  type,  is 
so  largely  prevalent.  It  is  among  people  possessing 
these  hands  that  we  often  find  subjects  possessing 
only  the  evil  propensities  of  their  type,  sensuality, 
laziness,  egotism,  singularity,  cynicism,  love  of  dissi- 
pation, intellectual  incapacity,  sharpness,  and  tendency 
to  falsehood  and  exaggeration.  Love,  which  is  not  a 
matter  of  the  senses,  such  as  filial,  fraternal,  and 
paternal  affection,  is  rare  among  hands  of  this  class, 
and  belongs  principally  to  square  and  spatulate 
hands. 

IV.  THE  USEFUL  HAND  (Fig.  4)  is  of  medium 
size,  but  inclining  to  large,  the  joints  of  the  fingers 
developed,  and  the  outer  phalange  square,  the  thumb 
large,  and  developed  at  the  root,  the  palm  of  medium 


FIG.  3. 


The  Seven  Types  of  Hands.  53 

•ize,  hollowed  and  firm.  Perseverance,  foresight, 
order,  and  submission  to  rule,  all  qualities  conspicu- 
ous by  their  absence  in  the  artiste  hand,  are  par- 
ticularly the  characteristics  of  the  useful  hand,  i.e., 
that  hand  whose  leading  feature  is  the  square  tips  of 
its  fingers.  To  organize,  classify,  and  regulate  is  their 
province ;  with  them  the  beautiful  and  true  are  sub- 
ordinate to  theory  and  rule ;  they  have  a  strong  love 
of  similitude  and  uniformity  as  opposed  to  the  change 
and  contrast,  which  is  the  delight  of  the  conical- 
fingered  hand  ;  they  appreciate  the  differences  in 
things  apparently  similar  and  the  points  of  resem- 
blance in  things  outwardly  dissimilar.  They  are  apt 
to  confuse  discipline  and  civilization,  compulsory 
order  and  the  order  of  common  consent ;  they  only 
act  on  the  promptings  of  sense  and  reason,  and  are 
consequently  often  somewhat  narrow-minded.  They 
are  polite  and  courteous  by  reason  of  their  respect  of 
persons  and  their  sense  of  order  and  the  fitness  of 
things ;  their  literature  is  precise  and  careful,  their 
poetry  rythmic  and  complete,  in  language  they  use 
terms  more  generic  than  distinctive,  i.e.,  they  will  say 
11  dog  "  rather  than  "  mastiff,"  "  terrier,"  "  beagle,"  or 
as  the  case  may  be ;  "  ship  "  rather  than  "  frigate," 
"  man-o'-war,"  "  brig,"  and  so  on.  Their  books  are 
and  must  be  clear  and  correct  in  their  expositions, 
leaving  nothing  to  the  imagination,  and  being  well 
arranged  and  indexed.  Cautious  and  far-seeing,  they 
like  what  is  known,  but  suspect  what  is  undefined ; 
their  ideas  being  moderate  they  prefer  the  real  to  the 
apparently  real ;  they  incline  to  men  of  good  sense 
more  than  to  men  of  genius,  and  are  more  noted  for 
spirit  and  talent  than  for  imaginative  faculties ;  their 


54  Chirognomy. 

moral  axioms  are  that  the  good  is  better  than  the 
beautiful,  and  the  useful  is  better  than  both.  These 
qualities  are  apt  to  become  despotic  in  the  hold  they 
have  over  these  subjects,  leading  them  into  hypocrisy, 
which  is  the  result  of  morbid  love  of  reserve,  regu- 
larity of  conduct,  and  personal  respect,  coldness  which 
they  mistake  for  moderation,  flattery  and  adulation 
to  which  they  are  peculiarly  susceptible,  stiffness  of 
manner,  unbending  punctuality,  and  steady  but  sup- 
pressed ambition.  For  his  friends  such  a  subject 
chooses  men  cultivated,  disciplined,  and,  so  to  speak, 
modelled  on  a  correct  pattern. 

Such  subjects  prefer  privilege  to  liberty  ;  they  are 
prepared  to  submit  to  the  authority  of  rank,  birth, 
law  and  custom,  and  they  like  to  feel  and  make 
others  feel  the  check-string.  The  man  with  large 
square  hands  is  always  neat,  well  brushed  and  but- 
toned up,  or  else  carefully  negligt ;  he  is  regular  in  his 
meals,  and  does  not  eat  at  odd  hours  ;  his  mind  will 
be  just  and  equally  balanced,  but  he  will  not  be  bril- 
liant. There  is  this  difference  between  the  spatulate 
and  the  square  hand.  Both  like  and  respect  autho- 
rity, but  the  former  will  be  fond  of  the  ruler  indi- 
vidually, whilst  the  latter  admires  and  respects  the 
institution  of  authority  itself.  The  artistic  hand  only 
admires  regularity  when  it  is  subservient  to,  and  a 
component  part  of,  a  beautiful  whole ;  the  useful  hand 
only  admires  the  beautiful  when  that  beauty  is  the 
result  of  regularity.  Thus,  therefore,  it  will  be  seen 
that  though  the  useful  hand  is  the  most  desirable, 
from  a  worldly  point  of  view,  it  is  neither  so  happy 
as  the  artistic,  nor  so  conscientious  and  indepen- 
dent as  the  spatulate,  but  it  is  the  square  fingers 


FIG  4. 


The  Seven  Types  of  Hands.  57 

of  the  useful  hand  which  govern  almost  the  entire 
world. 

V.  THE  PHILOSOPHIC  HAND  (Fig.  5).  —  Palm 
medium  size  and  pliable,  the  fingers  knotted,  and 
the  third  phalange  an  obtuse  cone  verging  on  the 
square,  having  a  sort  of  oval,  clubbed  appearance, 
consequent  on  the  development  of  the  second  joint , 
the  thumb  large,  having  its  two  phalanges  of  equal 
length,  indicating  an  equal  share  of  will  and  logic. 
The  distinguishing  characteristic  of  this  particular 
form  of  exterior  phalange  or  finger-tip,  semi-square 
and  semi-conical,  is  an  innate  tendency  to  search  after, 
a  love  for,  the  absolute  truth  and  reality  of  things. 
The  developed  joints  of  the  philosophic  hand  give 
it  calculation,  deduction  and  method,  the  semi- 
conical  shape  of  the  fingers  indicates  an  intuition  o/ 
poetic  instinct  Such  a  subject  prefers  reality  to 
beauty,  and  cause  rather  than  effect ;  is  gifted  with  an 
enthusiasm  for  moral,  experimental  and  philosophic? 
sciences  ;  has  a  leaning  towards  analysis,  /.&,  he  likes 
to  sound  the  meaning  and  cause  of  his  sensations 
and  ideas,  the  problems  of  creation  and  the  origin  of 
things ;  he  does  not  hold  his  opinions,  belief  and 
ideas  at  second-hand,  but  only  after  having  turned 
them  over,  viewed  them  from  all  sides,  and  examined 
them  thoroughly.  He  is  governed  by  reason  rather 
than  by  faith  or  love,  sacrificing  to  reason  all  such 
minor  considerations  as  custom  and  fashion;  this 
guiding  influence  imbues  him  with  a  love  of  ethics, 
and  political  and  social  economy,  often  leading  him 
to  scepticism  and  heresy,  but  never  to  fanaticism. 
He  is  open  to  doubt,  but  does  not  object  to  being  so ; 
he  considers  things  in  detail,  and  also  in  mass ;  indivi- 


58  Chirognomy. 

duals  and  also  communities ;  he  studies  both  the  rule 
and  its  exceptions ;  the  order,  which  is  an  inherent 
quality  in  him,  shows  itself  in  classifying  rather  than 
in  arranging,  *>.,  he  will  separate  things  according  to 
to  their  character  and  nature  rather  than  by  their 
size  and  appearance ;  he  pays  no  attention  to  vain 
scruples,  superstitious  terrors,  and  is  moderate  in  his 
pleasures.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  reason  is  the 
principal  characteristic  of  this  hand ;  it  will  take 
nothing  on  trust ;  at  the  same  time  there  is  a  refine- 
ment, an  appreciation  of  the  beautiful,  indicated  by 
the  semi-conic  formation  of  the  fingers.  It  has  the 
actuality  and  truth  of  the  spatulate  hand  without  its 
stubbornness  and  lack  of  refinement ;  it  has  the 
analysis  of  the  square  hand  without  its  insincerity, 
and  the  refinement  of  the  conic  hand  without  its 
flightiness  and  selfishness.  Its  motto  is  "  Modera- 
tion in  all  things,  and  truth  in  all" 

VI.  THE  PSYCHIC  HAND  (Fig.  6).— This  is 
the  rarest  and  most  beautiful  hand  of  all.  In  pro- 
portion to  the  formation  of  the  subject  whose  it  is, 
it  is  small ;  the  palm  is  of  medium  size,  the  fingers 
without  knots,  the  third  phalange  long  and  pointed 
the  thumb  small  and  well  shaped.  If  the  hand  i 
large  and  the  joints  are  developed,  it  has  more  force 
than  is  usual,  but  not  so  much  originality.  Such 
subjects  are  guided  by  the  ideal,  by  the  sublime,  and 
by  the  soul.  They  worship  at  the  shrine  of  beauty 
and  imagination,  and  are  the  exact  opposite  of  the 
philosophical-handed  subject.  Such  subjects  never 
become  rulers  or  statesmen ;  their  idealism  and  love 
of  the  beautiful  unreal  raises  them  above  such  ambi- 
tion ;  in  strife  they  disdain  small  achievements,  em- 


FIG.  5. 


The  Seven  Types  of  Hands.  6 1 

barking  enthusiastically  on  the  most  forlorn  nopes, 
spurred  to  victories  by  their  fervour  of  soul  and  not 
by  their  activity  of  body.  Some  writers  have  claimed 
these  hands  as  the  exclusive  inheritance  of  the  nobly 
born.  This  is  a  great  and  incomprehensible  mistake  j 
for  though  it  is  always  rare,  it  is  found  among  all 
classes,  sometimes  among  the  lowest,  where  it  is 
crushed  and  disdained,  by  reason  of  its  inability  to 
force  itself  to  manual  labour.  Artistic  hands  seek 
imagination  and  art  everywhere,  useful  hands  seek 
arrangement  and  rule,  philosophic  hands  seek  human 
reason ;  to  psychic  hands  is  reserved  the  privilege  of 
a  search  after  ethical  divine  reason  in  its  highest 
development ;  theirs  is  the  faculty  for  striving  after 
purity  and  right  in  the  abstract,  apart  from  any  ques- 
tions of  convenience.  It  would  be  easy  to  rhapso- 
dize over  the  advantages,  the  psychical  aesthetic 
advantages,  of  this  type ;  but  alas  !  beautiful  as  it  is, 
innately  grand  as  it  is,  its  impracticability  keeps  it 
back  in  the  great  race  of  life.  Beautiful  in  itself  it 
refines  us,  us  of  the  more  worldly  types,  but  without 
us  it  could  not  live.  Such  natures  we  must  work  to 
support  for  the  privilege  of  having  them  amongst  us  ! 
VII.  THE  MIXED  HAND  (Fig.  7).— This  is 
the  name  of  a  rather  common  and  rather  confusing 
type,  and  is  the  name  we  give  to  a  hand  when, 
by  the  confusion  of  the  forms  represented  in  it, 
it  seems  to  belong  to  two  different  types.  Thus, 
for  instance,  if  in  a  spatulate  hand  the  type  is  so 
slightly  marked  as  to  be  easily  mistaken  for  a  square 
hand ;  or  an  elementary  conic  hand  which  may  be 
mistaken  for  an  artistic  hand ;  or  a  highly  developed 
artistic  hand  which  may  be  mistaken  for  a  psychic 


62  Chirognomy. 

hand ;  a  philosophic  for  a  useful  and  so  on,  and  in 

all  cases  vice  versA.  Such  hands  partake  of  the 
nature  of  both  types  represented,  or  quasi-repre- 
sented. It  is  to  such  hands  as  these  that  we  must 
look  for  intelligence  in  mixed  works,  intermediate 
ideas  and  sciences,  which  require  more  than  mere 
science  to  elucidate  them ;  such  as  administration, 
the  theory  of  commerce,  arts  which  may  be  called 
unpoetic,  the  beauty  and  actuality  of  industry  and 
labour,  and  the  art  of  making  the  best  of,  and  most  out 
of,  everything.  Such  hands  generally  indicate  that 
the  subject  is  (as  our  proverb  puts  it)  "  Jack-of-all- 
trades,  master  of  none ; "  /.*.,  they  are  handy  and 
clever  at  innumerable  pursuits,  but  they  seldom  excel 
greatly  in  any  one  ;  as  I  have  said  just  above,  their 
capacity  for  "  making  the  best  of  it "  and  their  general 
moral  indifference  standing  in  the  way  of  excellence 
in  any  one  line.  They  have  this  great  difference 
from  subjects  whose  hands  are  of  a  particular  type ; 
these  last  have  talents  more  pronounced  than  ver- 
satile ;  people  whose  hands  are  mixed  are  more 
versatile  than  individual.  The  former  are  instructive 
to  talk  to,  the  latter  amusing ;  the  latter  succeed  best 
when  their  most  pronounced  talent  is  assiduously 
cultivated,  in  which  case  they  succeed  enormously. 

Take,  for  instance,  the  example  we  have  given  in 
Fig.  7.  This  is  what  we  might  call  the  artistico- 
elementary  hand.  This  ugly-looking  hand,  less 
supple  and  more  thick  than  the  true  artistic  hand, 
has  not,  however,  the  largeness,  the  grossness  and 
extreme  hardness  of  the  true  elementary  hand. 
The  fingers  are  big,  smooth  (sometimes  with  one 
joint  swollen  ;  not  developed,  but  swollen),  the  thumb 


FIG  6. 


The  Seven  Types  of  Hands.  65 

big,  and  the  general  character  of  the  hand  conical. 
Such  a  subject  is  greedy  but  avaricious,  i.e.,  he  is  sen- 
sual, but  he  only  gratifies  his  sensuality  when  he 
can  do  so  at  a  small  expense ;  he  is  moral,  but  without 
principle ;  he  keeps  the  law,  but  is  not  ethically  just ; 
he  is  sanctimonious,  perchance  bigoted,  without  being 
pious ;  though  he  is  hardy  he  will  not  endure  hard- 
ships which  bring  him  no  corresponding  advantage. 
Such  a  hand  closes  easily,  but  opens  with  difficulty ; 
this  is  the  case,  metaphorically  as  well  as  actually ;  it  is 
not  apt  at  hard  work,  or  manual  labour,  but  it  excels 
at  scheming,  arranging  and  negotiating  for  its  own 
advantage,  the  manual  labours  of  others. 

Other  varieties  of  the  mixed  hand  it  would  be  easy 
to  enumerate,  had  we  space  and  time ;  and  did  we 
not  think  that  the  dissertations  we  have  already  given 
on  the  various  types  will  enable  the  reader  easily  to 
decipher,  or  imagine  such  for  himself,  such  would  be 
the  psychico-elementary  hand,  whose  characteristics 
would  be  a  high  intelligence  and  love  of  art,  but  an 
ignorant  indifference  to  things  real,  and  so  on ;  but  in 
all  cases  what  virtues  or  good  qualities  they  possess 
are  traceable,  so  to  speak,  to  an  intellectual  torpor. 

Thus  far  have  we  deemed  it  necessary  to  con- 
sider and  discuss  the  sister  science  of  Chirognomy 
before  proceeding  to  the  consideration  of  the  actual 
science  of  Chiromancy.  It  is  most  important  to 
be  well  grounded  in  Chirognomy  before  studying 
Chiromancy,  and  for  obvious  reasons.  Before  you 
can  tell  a  man  his  instincts,  habits  of  life,  his  past, 
his  present  and  his  probable  future,  it  is  of  the  highest 
importance  that  you  should  have  a  clear  insight 

9 


66  Chirognomy. 

into  his  character  and  tendencies ;  and,  again,  as  wo 
have  said  in  our  introduction  (q.v.),  Chirognomy  may 
he  practised  without  the  subject  being  a  consenting 
party,  whilst  Chiromancy  necessitates,  at  the  least,  a 
close  examination  of  the  hand.  Before,  however,  pro- 
ceeding on  our  way,  we  shall  pause  a  few  moments 
to  make  a  few  remarks,  which  seem  to  us  to  be 
necessary,  on  the  subject  of  SEX. 


CHAPTER  V. 

OF  THE   FEMALE   HAND. 

THE  characteristics  of  each  type,  as  we  have  enumer- 
ated them,  apply  to  women  as  well  as  to  men,  though 
we  have,  for  convenience  sake,  made  use  throughout 
of  the  masculine  pronoun ;  at  the  same  time,  there 
are  certain  modifications  which  seem  to  require 
exposition;  as,  for  instance,  the  square  spatulate 
types  are  much  less  pronounced  in  woman  than  in 
man,  a  fact  shown  by  the  greater  suppleness  and 
elasticity  of  the  female  hand  in  general,  consequent 
on  the  differences  existing  between  the  male  and 
lemale  dispositions.  The  man  creates,  but  the  woman 
develops ;  to  man  belongs  the  faculty  of  principle,  to 
woman  the  gift  of  form  ;  our  laws  are  made  by  man, 
but  our  morals  by  woman ;  and  it  has  been  justly 
gaid  that  man  is  the  spirit  of  the  woman,  but  woman 


FIG.  7. 


F   2 


The  Female  Hand.  69 

is  the  soul  of  the  man.  Few  women  have  their  joints 
developed,  so  few  women  have  the  faculty  of  com- 
bination ;  in  intellectual  occupations  they  choose 
generally  those  requiring  more  tact  than  science, 
more  activity  of  mind  than  of  body,  more  imagination 
than  judgment ;  if  their  hands  are  knotty,  their  in- 
tellects are,  so  to  speak,  diluted  ;  they  are  then  less 
impressionable,  and  less  given  to  the  inspirations  of 
fancy.  Women  may  be  divided  by  this  our  science 
into  two  classes:  those  with  large  and  those  with 
small  thumbs ;  the  first,  more  intelligent  than  sensi- 
tive, have  a  natural  taste  for  history  and  similar 
studies ;  the  second,  more  sensitive  than  intellectual, 
prefer  romance.  Consideration  and  clear  headed- 
ness  is  the  gift  of  those  with  large  thumbs ;  love  with 
them  is  more  a  matter  of  head  than  heart,  but  it  is 
also  more  free  and  faithful,  and  a  large-thumbed 
woman  is  never  a  coquette.  With  those  who  have  a 
small  thumb,  on  the  contrary,  love  is  their  all  in  all, 
and  though  they  are  not  so  clever,  they  are  infinitely 
more  fascinating.  The  cares  of  womanhood,  the 
sympathy  which  is  natural  to  her,  and  the  troubles  of 
maternity,  all  require  and  enforce  a  high  degree  of 
intelligence ;  therefore  the  elementary  hand  is  of  ex- 
tremely  rare  occurrence  among  women  ;  and  in  com- 
munities where  the  men  represent  for  the  most  part 
this  type  the  empire  of  woman  is  supreme.  Man  under 
these  circumstances  is  dead  to  the  charms  of  youth, 
and  nearly  always  marries  a  woman  older  than  him. 
self,  to  be  governed  by  her. 

English  women  usually  have  the  exterior  phalange 
delicately  squared,  consequent  on  their  willingness 
to  adopt  household  cares.  The  women  of  the  Oriental 


70  Chirognomy. 

harems,  on  the  other  hand,  devoted  unto  death,  have, 
generally,  small  slim  hands,  with  small  thumbs.  Such 
w6men  as  Charlotte  Corday,  Sophie  de  Condorcet,  and 
Lucile  Desmoulins,  women  whose  very  souls  were  per- 
meated only  with  one  feverish  ideal,  had  very  pointed 
fingers.  Take  a  woman  with  rather  spatulate  fin- 
gers and  a  small  thumb ;  such  a  woman  has  an  un- 
limited fund  of  affection  and  freedom  of  soul,  love  of 
activity,  and  knowledge  of  real  life;  she  loves  and 
understands  horses,  and  all  other  animals  ;  her  ideas 
are  practical  and  useful.  The  woman  with  square 
fingers  and  a  small  thumb  will  have  everything  in  her 
house  orderly  and  punctual,  but  without  tyranny  or 
despotism ;  by  her  example  she  keeps  all  things  neat 
and  under  control.  If  she  have  a  large  thumb,  it 
indicates  a  virago,  tyrannical  towards  her  servants  and 
towards  her  children ;  at  the  same  time,  the  square 
phalange  may  indicate  narrow-mindedness,  prudish- 
ness,  and  fussiness  if  the  hand  inclines  to  hardness. 
Little,  soft,  supple  hands,  with  marked  joints,  and  a 
pretty  colour,  indicate  sharpness,  vivacity  and  bril- 
liancy; love  with  them  must  be  gay,  for  their  sole 
object  is  to  be  merry.  If  a  woman  have  hands  with 
a  strong  palm,  conic  fingers,  and  a  small  thumb,  they 
are  most  accessible  to  rhetoric  and  the  fervid  language 
of  love,  which  explains,  palliates,  extols  all  things  j 
to  please  them  you  must  be  brilliant,  for  they  prefer 
oratory  and  persuas;on  to  logic  and  sound  sense. 
Delicate,  smooth-pointed  fingers,  with  a  little  thumb 
and  a  narrow  elastic  palm,  proclaim  an  indolent  en. 
thusiasm  ;  such  women  are  governed  more  by  heart 
than  by  sense  and  spirit ;  they  do  not  care  about  the 
realities  of  life  and  conventional  duties;  they  are 


TJie  Female  Hand,  71 

pious,  but  hardly  devoted ;  enthusiastic  in  spirit,  but 
not  in  body. 

Thus,  it  will  be  seen  that,  though  the  types  have 
much  the  same  characteristics  among  women  as 
among  men,  yet,  to  read  the  character  of  a  woman, 
as  shown  by  her  hand,  requires  more  tact  and  self- 
confidence  than  is  required  in  reading  that  of  a  man. 
But,  without  multiplying  instances,  we  hope  that  the 
notes  contained  in  this  chapter  may  aid  the  would- 
be  Chiromant  to  analyse  and  discern  these  differences ; 
and  having  shortly  enumerated  the  points  of  impor- 
tance to  be  remembered  with  regard  to  Chirognorny, 
we  may  safely  launch  the  reader  upon  the  more  tern* 
pestuous  and  dangerous  sea  of  Chiromancy. 


PART  II. 

CHlROMANCVc 


PART  II. 

CHIROMANCY. 

'Chiromancy  hath  these  aphorisms  to  foretell  melancholy.' 


CHAPTER  I 

OF  THE   HAND   AND   ITS   MARKINGS. 

ALL  hands  have  lines  inscribed  upon  them.  Let  any 
number  of  individuals  assemble,  and  if  they  inspect 
their  palms,  or  have  impressions  taken  of  them,  they 
will  not  find  two  pairs  of  hands  exactly  alike  in  many 
thousands  of  individuals.  The  right  and  left  hands 
may  be,  and  are  frequently,  almost  similar  in  the  same 
person,  though  as  a  general  rule  the  right  hand 
possesses  dissimilarities  which  correct  and  control 
the  indications  of  the  left,  and  vice  versd;  but  the 
hands  of  any  two  individuals  will  vary  as  much  as 
their  other  features. 

There  are  certain  conditions  to  be  observed  by  any 
one  who  wishes  to  examine  the  hand  of  a  friend,  with 


j6  Chiromancy. 

a  view  to  reading  his  disposition  or  probable  future. 
For  instance,  the  hands  examined  should  be  per- 
fectly clean.  They  should  not  be  inspected  im- 
mediately after  a  full  meal,  or  after  strong  exercise, 
for  then  they  will  appear  heated,  and  the  lines  will 
appear  more  reddened  than  is  natural  For  the  same 
<eason  they  should  not  be  in  summer  too  warm,  nor, 
for  a  different  reason,  too  cold  in  winter ;  for,  in  the 
latter  case,  the  natural  heat  being  extracted,  a  pale- 
ness is  noticeable,  which  would  not  under  normal 
conditions  exist.  Wine  and  good  food  excite  the 
body,  and  naturally  influence  the  palrns  of  the  hands. 

Besides  these  very  obvious  precautions,  others 
should  be  observed  with  reference  to  the  sex,  age,  and. 
constitution  of  the  person  who  is  under  inspection. 
These  conditions  being  observed  by  a  skilful  practi- 
tioner, he  will  be  enabled  to  make  a  very  excellent 
report  upon  the  past,  present,  and  future  of  the 
subject  under  examination ;  a  report  which,  however 
unpalatable  to  the  listener,  or  however  agreeable  to 
his  vanity,  will  be  absolutely  true  in  all  essential  par- 
ticulars. The  hand  has  been  compared,  and  rightly 
compared,  to  a  looking-glass,  and  we  can  see  our* 
selves  as  others  see  us — or  do  not  see  us,  as  we  may 
perhaps,  thankfully  remember. 

Later  on  we  will  give  a  few  instructions  for  the  mode 
of  proceeding.  Just  now  we  will  quote  a  celebrated 
Chiromant,  whose  claims  are  by  no  means  exaggerated. 
He  says : — 

"Give  me  the  hand  of  an  artist  of  talent,  and  with- 
out ever  having  seen  his  pictures,  I  will  tell  him 
whether  he  prefers  form  or  colour ;  if  he  cares  for 
details,  or  is  satisfied  with  the  massive ;  whether  he 


TJie  Hand  and  its  Markings.  pf 

works  by  reflection,  or  by  inspiration;  whether  ho 
prefers  the  imitation  of  nature,  or  works  of  imagina- 
tion  I  will  predict  for  him  a  greater  or  less 

degree  of  success,  or  a  greater  or  less  degree  of  fame. 
....  I  will  tell  a  physician  how  he  treats  his  patients, 
what  is  his  method  of  ascertaining  a  disease,  whether 
by  inspiration  or  reflection,  or  by  tracing  events  to 
their  causa" 

This,  perhaps,  may  appear  to  some  an  impossibility, 
but  such  a  knowledge  of  mankind  is  within  the 
reach  of  all  who  will  carefully  study  the  science, 
which  we  cannot  fully  unfold  within  the  limits  of  this 
little  volume.  But  sufficient  will  be  found  for  all 
ordinary  purposes  of  general  Chiromancy;  and  the 
reader  may,  in  a  reasonable  time,  and  with  a  good 
memory,  read,  mark,  and  learn  from  many  hands 
the  events  of  many  lives,  and  the  disposition  of  his 
relatives  and  friends,  as  well  as  his  own  chances. 
Modern  Ohiromants  will  not  pay  much  attention 
to  the  conditions  we  have  enumerated,  and  so 
they  may  make  mistakes,  and  nothing  in  the  whole 
world  is  easier  than  to  err  in  reading  a  hand 
when  the  reader  is  inexperienced  I  Now  for  a  few 
hints. 

Let  the  hand  be  gently  contracted,  not  held 
out  flat,  the  muscles  relaxed  so  that  the  hand  is  as 
"flabby"  as  possible.  The  left  hand  is  first  in- 
spected, then  compared  wkh  the  right.  The  colour 
of  the  hand  is  important  Paleness  is  not  always 
a  good  sign.  "It  denoteth  an  evil  temperament"  in 
those  lines  which  look  otherwise  coloured,  for  "  red- 
ness in  some  lines  signifies  evil,  and  paleness  good  " 
(Old  tradition.) 


78  Chiromancy. 

Strongly-marked  lines  in  a  female  hand  are  held 
generally  to  indicate  a  virago. 

The  hands  must  be  considered  as  to  quantity  and 
their  proportions  to  the  body,  and  whether  they  be 
longer  or  shorter  than  they  ought  to  be.  The  fingers 
also  must  have  attention ;  for  instance,  a  long  palm 
with  gross  fingers  denotes  a  dull  and  heavy  person. 
Long  slender  hands  denote  a  tyrannical  disposition, 
"and,  according  to  some  old  authorities,  the  amount 
of  hair  upon  the  back  of  them  is  significant  of  a 
good  temperament  or  of  an  unstable  one,  according 
as  the  hirsuteness  be  less  or  more.  (Vide  supra 
"Chirognomy,"  Ch.  I.) 

The  parts  of  the  hand  for  our  investigation  are 
divided,  and  when  it  is  extended  open  we  find  the 
Vola,  or  inner  part  of  the  hand,  where  the  lines  are ; 
Tubercula,  or  rising  parts ;  the  Ferriens,  or  smiting 
part  *;  the  Cavea,  or  hollow;  and  the  Mensa,  or  table. 
The  five  fingers,  viz.,  the  Pollex  or  thumb,  the  Index 
or  fore-finger,  the  Medius  or  middle  finger,  the 
Annularius  or  ring  finger,  and  the  Auricularis  or  little 
finger,  have  each  a  bearing  on  the  question.  In 
fine,  the  elements  to  be  considered  are  the  thumb, 
fingers,  joints,  lines,  and  the  rising  parts,  or  mountains 
of  the  hand. 


OF  THE   PALM  OF  THE   HAND. 

Before  proceeding  to  explain  the  mounds  of  the 
hand  we  will  make  a  few  observations  concerning  the 
division  of  the  palm,  and  the  curious  deductioni 

*  Called  also  the  "Percussion." 


FIG.  8. 


The  Palm  of  the  Hand.  81 

which  writers  have  made  from  it  We  shall  soon  see 
that  the  hand  is  divided  into  three  zones  or  parts, 
which  are  bounded  by  certain  lines  to  be  hereafter 
explained. 

Our  readers  will  perceive,  when  they  consider  the 
qualities  attributed  to  certain  mounts,  that  the  upper 
or  northern  divisions  of  the  hand  contain  all  the 
manly,  aggressive  and  hardy  qualities.  The  male 
portion  or  the  upper  part  ( Vide  Fig.  8)  have  industry 
in  Mercury ;  art  based  on  sciences  in  Apollo  ;  ambi- 
tion and  force  in  Jupiter ;  in  the  three  first  fingers,  or 
rather  in  their  bases.  Mark  this  and  continue. 

Let  us  look  now  at  the  southern  or  female  side — 
the  lower  portion  of  the  hand.  Here  we  have 
sensuality,  imagination,  love,  and  various  feminine 
attributes  as  distinguished  from  hardiness  and 
aggressiveness.  This  is  evident. 

Now  compare  the  inhabitants  of  the  North  and 
South  countries  of  the  world.  Do  we  not  find  the 
hardy  Norseman  and  the  sensuous  Southerner,  the 
working,  energetic  Northerner,  and  the  siesta-loving 
Southerner  ?  In  the  one  case  we  have  the  worker,  in 
the  other  the  dilettante,  the  manly  qualities  as  a  rule 
In  one,  the  feminine  or  easy-going  attributes  in  the 
other.  This  is,  at  any  rate,  a  curious  coincidence, 
and  is  really  no  coincidence.  It  is  nature — Provi- 
dence— what  you  will.  The  fact  remains ;  and  the 
hand  of  man  is  held  up  in  the  great  concourse  of 
the  world  to  confirm  the  testimony  of  the  Creator—- 
nothing is  in  vain. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  pursue  this  particular 
portion  of  the  subject  farther.  M.  Desbarrolles,  in 
his  exhaustive  treatise  upon  the  "  Mysteries  of  '.he 

a 


82  Chiromancy. 

Hand,"  gives  reasons  for  assigning  also  the  term* 
east  and  west  to  the  two  sides  of  the  hand,  and 
argues  from  Europe  to  America.  We  will  not  follow 
him  across  the  Atlantic  to  what  he  terms  the  "  home 
of  Egotism  ;"  and  "  Egotism  is  the  death  of  Art." 
He  looks  upon  the  Western  Continent  apparently  as 
a  kind  of  Moon  which  is  illuminated  by  the  Sun 
of  the  East,  but  when  once  the  Sun  disappears  the 
Moon  will  cease  to  shine ;  it  has  no  light  of  its  own. 
"  The  future  is  not  in  the  West ;  the  end  is  there." 
He  winds  up  somewhat  bitterly — 

"  On  a  dit  '  la  jeune  Amerique ' ! " 

"  Ou  est  sa  jeunesse  ?  OU  est  sa  naivete",  son  elan, 
sa  tendresse  ?  Qu'a-t-elle  de  jeune  ?  Elle  a  pris  tout 
d'un  coup  les  cheveux  blancs  de  civilization  ;  la  cor- 
ruption. Elle  a  tous  les  vices  du  vieillard  sceptique 
et  desse'che,  et  elle  aspire  a  commander  le  monde. 
Allons  done  !  C'est  la  t£te  qui  commande,  parfoii 
c'est  le  cceur,  mais  ce  n'est  jamais  le  bras  !  " 

The  chief  points  of  the  hand  being  now,  we  hope, 
understood,  we  will  proceed  to  examine  the  "  Mounts  * 
and  the  "  Lines  "  in  their  order. 


FIG.  9. 


a  2 


The  Mounds  of  the  Hand.  85 


CHAPTER  IL 


THE  most  casual  observer  of  his  hand  will  notice 
that  at  the  base  of  each  finger  in  the  palm  of  the 
hand  is  a  mound  or  rising,  or  a  depression.  ( Vide 
Fig.  9.)  Each  of  these  corresponds  to  a  planet,  and 
the  star  may  be  fortunate  or  unfortunate  according 
to  its  development,  and  to  the  corresponding  in- 
fluences of  the  lines  and  marks  or  signs.*  The 
thumb  is  most  important ;  round  its  mount  runs  the 
line  of  life ;  the  thumb  in  Chiromancy  is  the  life, 
and  its  influence  may  be  benefited  or  counteracted 
by  the  other  little  hills  which  the  hand  is  heir  to. 
The  mount  of  the  thumb  is  sacred  to  Venus.  ( Vide 
supra,  "  Chirognomy,"  Ch.  II.) 

The  mounts  beneath  the  four  fingers  are — com- 
mencing with  the  Index — Jupiter,  Saturn,  Apollo 
(the  Sun),  Mercury.  The  Mount  of  Mars  is  at  the 
fide  of  the  hand  opposite  the  thumb,  immediately 
below  the  Mount  of  Mercury.  The  Mount  of  the 
Moon  is  beneath  Mars  at  the  base  of  the  hand 
opposite  the  Mount  of  Venus.  We  may  again  ob- 
serve that  the  upper  or  north  of  the  hand  is  Male, 
the  lower  portion,  near  the  wrist,  the  southern  or 
female  part.  The  accompanying  diagram  and  the 

*  We  use  the  customary  planetary  terms,  because  they  serve 
to  elucidate  our  meaning,  and  distinguish  different  characteristics, 
but  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  we  mix  astrology  and  such* 
like  charlatanism  with  our  Science. 


86  Chiromancy. 

frontispiece  will  assist  our  readers  in  determining  the 
various  positions  of  the  mounds. 

It  may  be  accepted  that  when  the  various  hills  are 
properly  placed  in  the  positions  indicated,  they  argue 
the  possession  of  the  qualities  belonging  to  each 
planet.  For  instance,  Jupiter  indicates  pride,  Saturn 
fatality,  Apollo  art  or  riches,  Mercury  science  or  wit, 
Mars  self-restraint  or  perhaps  cruelty,  the  Moon 
folly  or  imagination,  Venus,  love,  even  to  excess  and 
ill-regulated  passion. 

We  must  also  understand  that  when  these  mounds 
are  very  slight,  their  absence  indicates  the  want  of  the 
quality  in  question — a  cavity  means  that  a  correspond- 
ing fault  is  inherent,  while  a  great  excess  is  equally  a 
defect  unless  counteracted  by  the  influence  of  the 
lines.  Perhaps  a  classification  of  the  various  qualities 
of  the  mounts  and  their  possible  meanings  will  be 
more  intelligible  than  a  long  explanation.  Let  us 
commence  with  the  Thumb,  the  seat  of  affection. 
"  C'est  1'amour  qui  fait  tourner  le  monde." 

THE  MOUNT  OF  VENUS  is  at  the  root  of  the 
thumb.  The  line  of  Life  encircles  it  as  a  river  flows 
beneath  a  mountain.  "  Life  is  dependent  on  Love." 
The  presence  of  the  mount  supposes  grace,  beauty, 
melody  in  music,  dancing,  a  desire  to  please,  tender- 
ness, politeness,  and  kindred  social  virtues  which 
attract  the  opposite  sex.  The  absence  of  the  Mount 
does  not  necessarily  indicate  vice,  but  it  argues  want 
of  energy,  selfishness,  coldness,  and  want  of  soul 
generally.  In  excess  it  portends  vanity,  license  idle- 
ness, faithlessness,  coquetry,  &c.,  to  an  extent  com- 
Inensurate  with  the  abnormal  development,  if  un- 
checked by  religion  and  good  sense. 


FIG.  10. 


TJte  Mounds  of  tlie  Hana.  89 

THE  MOUNT  OF  JUPITER  beneath  the  Index- 
finger  may  mean  ambition,  honour,  religion,  love  of 
Nature,  and  happy  marriage ;  all  good  qualities,  with 
cheerfulness  in  social  life. 

The  absence  of  the  Mount  means  opposite  qualities, 
such  as  idleness,  vulgar  tendencies,  egotism,  and  so 
on.  In  excess  we  may  look  for  superstition,  the  excess 
of  religious  fervour,  pride,  domineering  tendencies, 
and  so  on. 

THE  MOUNT  OF  SATURN  beneath  the  middle 
finger  is  very  significant  Our  line  of  Fate  reaches 
up  to  Saturn,  so  Saturn  comes  to  mean  Fate.  He 
may  indicate  prudence  and  sagacity,  or  the  very 
opposite,  when  present  His  meaning  must  be  read 
"between  the  lines."  The  absence  of  Saturn's  hill 
tells  of  misfortune  or  a  wasted  existence.  The  excess 
of  it  sadness  and  taciturnity,  fear  of  future  punish- 
ment, and  even  suicidal  mania ;  general  depression 
of  spirits,  with  asceticism  or  morbidness  in  re- 
ligion. 

THE  MOUNT  OF  THE  SUN — Apollo — under  the 
Ring  finger,  is  predicative  of  taste  in  the  arts ;  intelli- 
gence, genius,  and  a  general  tendency  to  look  upon 
the  sunny  side  of  existence.  A  beauty  and  grace  of 
heart  and  mind  are  present,  too,  with  good  religious 
tolerance  and  tendencies.  A  very  excellent  mound 
indeed.  In  excess  we  may  imagine  whither  Apollo 
will  lead  us.  He  will  give  us  a  taste  for  display,  for 
too  easy-going  manners,  for  exaggerated  tendencies 
of  a  warm  heart,  and  exaggeration  generally,  accord- 
ing to  the  modifications  of  the  lines  of  the  hands. 
Absent ;  the  Sun's  departure  will  render  us  cold, 
eonten'  with  a  material  existence,  with  no  taste  for 


90  Chiromancy 

art ;  and,  in  fine,  dull,  chilling,  and  careless  of  the 
life  we  live. 

THE  MOUNT  OF  MERCURY,  beneath  the  little 
finger,  gives  us  many  excellent  qualities,  and  useful 
withal.  He  brings  us  an  inventive  genius,  quickness 
of  thought  and  action,  a  working  mind,  and  brain  with 
power  to  carry  out  our  ideas  ;  industry  and  com- 
mercial tastes,  with  uprightness  in  our  dealings.  Wit 
and  lightness  of  body  are  also  brought  us  by  this 
flying  deity. 

The  absence  of  this  hill  assures  a  "  negative  life," 
and  the  absence  of  all  the  qualities  we  have  enume- 
rated. In  excess  he  is  bad.  We  have  the  worst 
side  of  the  attributes  ;  dexterity  descends  to  robbery 
and  swindling,  perfidy,  lying,  scheming,  and  preten- 
tious ignorance;  Mercury,  as  we  know,  is  the  deity 
of  thieves. 

THE  MOUNT  OF  MARS  may  be  easily  interpreted. 
It  denotes  courage  and  coolness  in  danger,  '•  proper 
pride,"  self-control,  resolution,  and  kindred  qualities, 
which  are  to  be  found  in  brave  and  gentle  natures. 
The  excess  of  Mars  is  not  unfavourable,  but  it  may 
argue  violence,  even  murderous  intent,  tyranny,  and 
angry  passions  of  the  soul.  The  absence  of  the  God 
Of  War  can  be  easily  summed  up  in  cowardice  and 
unreadiness  in  danger. 

The  Plain  of  Mars  is  crossed  by  the  line  of  the 
Head,  which  implies  the  struggle  which  is  continually 
going  on  in  life,  and,  while  united  with  the  Mount  of 
Mars,  the  ability  to  resist  them. 

THE  MOUNT  OF  THE  MOON  closes  our  list.  When 
it  is  present  it  signifies  imagination,  sentiment,  har- 
mony (ii  music)  and  a  lymphatic  temperament,  a 


The  Mounds  of  the  Hand.  91 

love  of  solitude  and  sentimentality,  romance.  Absent, 
of  course,  it  means  lack  of  all  these  qualities.  /* 
excess  causeless  worries,  despair,  restlessness  and 
curious  fancies,  brain-sickness,  madness,  &c.  The 
moon  is  the  type  of  changeability  or  caprice. 

Writers  on  Chiromancy  have  divided  the  hand  into 
three  parts,  bounded  by  certain  lines.  The  upper 
portion  is  considered  the  divine  part,  the  centre 
the  natural,  and  the  lowest  the  material  division. 
The  Mount  of  Venus  with  that  of  the  Moon  unite  to 
form  the  Material  portion.  The  upper  part,  bounded 
by  the  line  of  the  Heart,  is  the  divine  portion,  and 
the  Natural  portion  is  in  the  centre,  where  is  the 
line  of  the  Head  and  the  Plain  and  Mount  of  Mars. 

We  have  thus  considered  the  "  Mounts  "  briefly,  but 
we  are  now  only  upon  the  threshold  of  the  Science 
of  Chiromancy  as  regard  the  interior  of  the  hand. 
And  with  regard  to  these  mountains,  we  must  be 
cautious  in  our  reading.  Sometimes  one  mount 
may  be  much  more  evident  than  the  others,  and 
then  the  others  are,  in  a  sense,  subservient  to  its 
influences,  and  aid  it  in  its  ambition  or  affection,  as 
the  case  may  be.  Again,  the  influence  of  the  mounts 
must  be  considered  vis-a-vis  of  the  lines  of  the  hand. 
Not  only  the  most  evident  of  the  latter,  but  even 
the  smaller  ones,  have  their  significance ;  so,  although 
it  is  comparatively  easy  for  a  person  to  read  the  palm 
of  the  hand  in  large  type,  as  it  were,  he  cannot 
make  a  proper  book  for  general  circulation  unless  he 
employ  the  "  lower  case."  It  is  very  well  for  a 
beginner — like  a  child — to  have  a  lesson  in  "  capitals," 
but  he  must  learn  the  small  letters  as  well. 

Thus  the  palm  of  the  hand  is  a  book  to  be  read 


92  Chiroma*  'cy. 

by  all  who  study ;  but  they  must  study  diligently  and 
continuously.  There  are  as  many  considerations  to 
be  entertained  and  weighed  as  in  a  weather  forecast. 
We  may  and  do  make  broad  guesses  at  the  weather, 
and,  at  times,  are  correct ;  but  we  have  to  study  the 
signs.  So  it  is  with  Palmistry. 


CHAPTER  III. 

OF  THE   LINE  OF  THE   HEART. 

IN  every  hand  there  are  lines  of  certain  depth, 
colour,  and  length,  and,  according  to  their  accentua- 
tion, so  will  the  qualities  they  indicate  be  more  or  less 
present  in  the  individual.  We  do  not  say  that  these 
qualities  will  be  evident  to  the  ordinary  observer,  nor 
even  that  they  are  observable  at  all.  They  exist  in 
his  or  her  nature,  but  may  be  kept  in  subjection  and 
self-denial  by  religious  training  and  force  of  charactei 
— in  3  word,  by  othei  lines  01  mo  nnds.  There  are 
some  interpretations  which  are  merely  traditional,  but 
we  will  give  them  when  necessary,  01  advisable,  foi 
what  they  are  worth,  noting  at  the  time  theii  origin. 

There  are  three  or  four  very  important  lines  observ- 
able in  the  majority  of  hands.  We  will  take  first  the 
three  most  universal,  viz.,  the  line  of  the  Heart,  the 
line  of  the  Head,  and  the  line  of  Life.  These 


The  Line  of  the  Heart.  93 

three  lines  form  a  figure  in  the  palm  of  the  hand 
something  like  the  letter  M ;  if  the  hand  be  held  side- 
ways and  with  the  muscles  relaxed,  the  figure  will 
readily  be  perceived. 

THE  LINE  OF  THE  HEART  is  the  uppermost,  and 
we  will  consider  it  first.  It  passes  beneath  the 
fingers,  and  by  the  ancients  was  called  the  Mensal 
Line,  from  mens,  the  mind ;  or,  perhaps,  from  mtnsat 
a  table,  as  it  appears  in  the  table-land  of  the  hand. 
But  it  is  now  generally  known  as  the  Line  of  the 
Heart,  and  is  a  very  important  one  for  us  to  con- 
sider. 

There  are,  moreover,  certain  indications  which  we 
must  take  into  consideration ;  for  instance,  the  colour, 
clearness,  depth,  &c.,  of  the  line;  and  in  accordance 
with  these  traits,  the  state  of  the  heart  or  mind, 
and  the  misfortunes  which  have  affected  us,  may  be 
traced. 

To  be  really  good,  it  ought  to  rise  at  the  Mount 
of  Jupiter,  and  cross  the  hand  to  what  is  termed  the 
"  percussion  "  or  "  striking  "  part,  and  be  clear,  clean, 
and  well-coloured.  According  to  its  length  we  may 
judge  the  strength  of  attachment,  and  the  quality  o 
attachment.  For  instance,  if  instead  of  rising  be- 
neath the  index  finger,  the  line  does  not  commence 
until  the  Mount  of  Saturn,  we  may  premise  a  strong 
feeling  of  attachment  or  love,  but  of  a  sensual,  rather 
than  of  a  domestic,  type. 

A  long  clear  line  of  the  Heart,  in  what  may  be 
termed  a  Venusian  character,  indicates  an  affectionate 
and  devoted  character;  but  if  the  prominence  be  more 
even  under  the  influence  of  the  Moon,  by  reason  of 
the  Mount  of  Luna  being  highly  developed,  then  the 


94  Chiromancy. 

line  will  be  somewhat  paler,  and  will  indicate  more 
passive,  if  sincere,  affection,  but  will  not  struggle  very 
long  against  difficulties,  or  even  against  the  evils  of 
which  the  individual's  nature  is  the  type  or  the  off- 
spring. 

The  more  this  line  bears  to  Jupiter  the  better  it 
is,  and  the  more  it  goes  over  to  Mercury,  even  some- 
times turning  round  to  the  back  of  the  hand,  the 
more  material  may  the  affection  be  regarded  as  a  rule. 
Jealous  persons  will  find  this  true,  for  jealousy  is  an 
excess  of  affection,  and  therefore  a  fault.  All  excess 
is  faulty,  "  too  much  "  means  wrong.  Too  little  of 
the  line  of  the  Heart  indicates  a  martial  type  of 
individual,  who  will  gain  by  violence  and  not  by 
affection  what  he  wishes.  Absence  of  the  line 
means  wickedness,  bad  faith,  and,  probably,  an  early 
death. 

A  break  in  this  line  may  mean  weakness,  and,  con- 
sequently, a  broken  engagement,  or  a  rupture  with 
one  we  love.  According  to  the  place  where  the  break 
occurs,  the  cause  may  be  sought.  Under  Saturn  it  is 
"  fate ;"  nearer  the  Sun,  folly ;  under  Apollo,  pride  \ 
further  on,  avarice ;  under  Mercury,  avarice,  combined 
with  ignorance. 

Sometimes  we  find  jagged  lines  or  a  "  chain  "  on 
the  course  of  the  line  of  the  Heart — these  denote 
inconstancy,  flirtation,  and  intrigue  in  love  and  friend- 
ship. (Old  writers  say  they  argue  contempt  of  women 
also. ) 

The  colour  of  the  line  may  also  assist  us  to  arrive 
at  a  conclusioa  If  we  find  it  red,  and  generally 
good,  we  may  assume  strong  love — even  violent 
affection — but  a  broad  pale  line  means  the  tendency 


The  Line  of  the  Heart.  95 

•>f  the  nature  to  dissipation,  even  to  weakness  and 
excess.  The  pallor  of  the  line  indicates  the  want 
of  power  to  recuperate  fast  enough  for  a  dissipated 
existence. 

A  sign  of  death  is  when  the  three  lines  are  united 
beneath  the  index  finger.  If  in  both  hands,  death  by 
violence  is  predicted.  And  if  united  with  the  line  ol 
the  Head  under  the  mount  of  Saturn,  it  is  also  an 
indication  of  violent  death.  But  when  these  lines 
appear  united  on  one  hand,  we  must  always  look  at 
the  other  for  confirmation.  If  the  signs  are  not 
duplicated,  the  fatality  will,  in  all  probability,  not  over- 
take us.  Danger  may  be  indicated  by  the  lines,  but 
"prudence  and  training  may  neutralize  the  predestined 
effects  ;  equally  as  good  indications  may  be  neutralized 
by  sordid  or  unworthy  passions  if  indulged  in. 

Disappointments  in  the  affections  are  marked  by 
bars  across  the  line  of  the  Heart ;  no  branches  mean 
a  loveless  life,  so  far  as  the  opposite  sex  is  concerned 
— a  withered  existence  and  poverty. 

Good  fortune  is  predicted  or  confirmed  by  a  forking 
or  parting  of  the  line  under  Jupiter ;  while  commer- 
cial or  pecuniary  losses  or  deceit  are  shown  by  the 
fall  of  the  line  to  the  line  of  the  Head,  and  shows 
the  possessor  is  easily  "  taken  in  "  in  business. 

There  are  other  suggestions  which  will  be  noticed 
in  time,  as  they  may  be  connected  with  the  other 
lines.  But  we  may  assume  that  when  the  line  is 
broken  under  Saturn  it  indicates  much  susceptibility 
of  temperament;  a  cessation  under  Apollo  in  the 
right  hand  means  an  organization  which  will  devote 
itself  to  circumstances,  and  raise  "  Bethels  "  from  its 
"  stony  gnefs."  Mimicry  finds  its  raison  d'etre  when 


96  CJiiromancy. 

the  line  of  the  Heart  ascends  the  Mercurial  Mount, 
and  in  actors  this  will  be  noticed. 

If  the  line  of  Heart  descend  to  the  line  of 
Head,  we  shall  find  the  possessor  of  such  a  palm 
letting  his  heart  get  the  better  of  his  interests,  and 
giving  way  for  love  or  friendship,  which  may  be 
tempered  by  the  line  on  the  left  hand,  showing  in- 
dications of  selfishness  in  a  similar  manner. 

We  must  read  all  the  lines  carefully  on  both 
hands,  and  strike  a  balance. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  LINE  OF  THE   HEAD. 

A  REFERENCE  to  the  frontispiece  will  enable  the  reader 
to  perceive  the  line  of  the  Head,  and  its  direction. 
It  commences  between  the  thumb  and  the  fore-finger, 
and  is  usually  united  in  its  birth  with  the  line  of 
life.  But  they  are  quickly  parted,  one  passing  across 
the  hand,  the  other  surrounding  the  Mount  of 
Venus. 

The  line  of  the  Head  and  the  line  of  Life  some- 
times do  not  commence  together.  When  this  is  the 
case,  the  person  upon  whose  hands  this  parting  is 
observable  will  be  found  to  be  careless  of  himself. 
There  is  obviously  no  connection  between  his  or  her 


The  Line  of  the  Htad.  97 

brain  and  life,  so  the  individual  exists  without  thought 
for  existence.  The  line  of  the  Head  traverses  the 
plain  of  Mars,  and  ends  upon  the  Mount  of  Mars, 
with  a  more  or  less  direct  or  sloping  course  towards 
the  Lunar  Mountain. 

The  clearness,  colour,  length  and  depth  of  the 
line  of  the  Head,  indicate  in  proportion  the  amount 
of  self-reliance  or  care  for  one's  own  interests  which 
are  inherent  in  the  individual  If  it  rise  up  to  with- 
out touching  the  line  of  the  Heart,  the  chances  are 
that  the  person  so  marked  will  be  of  much  weaker 
intelligence  in  things  of  the  world. 

The  line  of  the  Head  may  throw  out  some 
branches,  and  these  also  possess  significance.  For 
instance,  if  the  ramifications  extend  towards  the 
Mount  of  Jupiter  (index),  the  sign  is  that  the  pos- 
sessor is  easily  wounded  in  his  self-love.  If  such 
branches  seek  Saturn's  Shrine,  they  mean  legacies  or 
future  possessions ;  if  towards  Mercury,  commercial 
success ;  towards  Venus,  it  is  a  sign  that  the  Head 
will  be  easily  influenced  by  love. 

Ancient  writers  used  to  maintain  that  white  and 
red  marks  upon  the  line  of  the  Head  indicated, 
murders  or  homicides,  which  have  been,  or  which 
will  eventually  be  committed.  Red  points  indicate 
wounds  in  the  head. 

When  considering  this  line  we  must  notice  its 
course  and  tendency  very  closely,  for  it  is  naturally 
affected  by  the  mounts  which  it  seeks.  If  towards 
"  imagination,"  the  latter  will  of  course  influence  it, 
and  a  less  sound  and  practical  view  of  life  will  be 
arrived  at.  The  fancy  will  usurp  the  place  of  stern 
reality,  and  the  hues  of  romance  will  tinge  our  views 

H 


9&  Chiromancy. 

of  existence.  Lower  still  into  the  Moon's  territory 
we  shall  find  a  tendency  to  mysticism ;  and  if  th« 
line  come  right  down  upon  the  mount  of  the  Moon, 
the  mount  being  well  developed,  it  is  an  indication 
of,  a  tendency  to,  or  approaching  madness. 

So  when  it  turns  to  the  upper  hills,  it  signifies  that 
it  partakes  of  the  qualities  of  those  mounts.  Mer- 
cury thus,  as  before,  means  commerce,  and  so  on, 
as  reputation  and  riches  come  from  the  Sun.  If  it 
advances  too  high,  it  indicates  foolishness  in  connec- 
tion with  the  hill  it  aspires  to ;  that  is,  pursuit  carried 
to  an  absurd  extent,  religious  ecstacy,  and  ridiculous 
extremes  of  art,  either  in  painting  or  otherwise — or 
less  wise. 

When  we  perceive  the  line  of  the  Head  is  pale  and 
wide,  we  look  for  a  want  of  intelligence  or  circum- 
spection in  worldly  affairs.  We  may,  perhaps,  find  a 
linked  line,  indicative  of  a  chain,  as  it  were,  instead 
of  the  direct  and  full  line  we  may  be  led  to  expect 
When  this  is  the  case  we  can  point  to  a  want  of  fixity 
or  concentration  of  thought ;  the  individual  is  of  the 
"  rolling  stone  "  order,  and  does  not  pursue  one  line 
of  thought  or  action  in  a  very  determined  way.  So 
a  broken  line  indicates  vacillation. 

There  are  indications  of  death  to  be  noticed  in  this 
line.  For  instance,  capital  punishment  is  foreshadowed 
upon  it ;  and  when  we  find  it  divided  beneath  Saturn 
(or  fate),  upon  an  unlucky  hand,  we  may  predict  the 
execution  of  the  individual,  which,  unless  Providence 
order  otherwise,  will  surely  take  place.  If  the  hand 
bearing  this  fatal  sign  be  otherwise  generally  for- 
tunate, we  can  fearlessly  modify  the  sad  predic- 
tion, and  arrive  at  a  less  terrible  conclusion,  -such 


The  Line  of  the    lead.  99 

is  a  broken  head  or  scalp  wound  of  a  severe 
character. 

The  points  of  the  liar  or  deceiver  are  clearly 
shown  by  the  line  of  the  head,  which  then  appears 
unconnected  with  the  life,  in  a  divided  line,  one 
branch  continuing  onward,  and  the  other  tending 
towards  the  mount  of  the  Moon.  This  shows  imagi- 
nation and  deception,  a  leaning  to  error  and  falsehood. 

The  line  of  the  Head,  where  shortened  in  the  hand 
of  a  sentimental  or  Venusian  subject,  will  argue 
that  he  is  likely  to  permit  his  worldly  interest  to 
be  wrecked  by  his  feelings ;  or  if  the  subject  be  of 
the  masculine  order,  the  sign  indioates  his  impetu- 
osity, and  hence  his  failure  in  his  calculations. 

If  it  descends  very  much  into  the  hill  or  mount  of 
the  Moon,  there  is  danger  of  death  by  drowning 
or  insanity.  The  Moon  rules  the  water,  and  a  circle 
at  the  end  of  the  line  is  very  dangerous. 

In  considering  the  line  of  the  Head  we  must,  as 
will  be  perceived  from  the  foregoing  remarks,  look 
upon  the  qualities  of  the  Head  as  generally  under- 
stood, and  then  translate  the  signs  according  as  the 
line  is  affected  by  surroundings.  A  tortuous  winding 
head  line,  tending  towards  the  line  of  the  heart,  will 
at  once  tell  us  that  the  "  subject "  is  undecided  and 
foolish  j  that  his  brain  is  in  danger,  and  death  may 
ensue.  If  it,  at  its  termination,  unite  with  the  line  of 
the  heart,  it  indicates  early  decease,  or  with  good 
signs  otherwise  may  only  indicate  bad  fortune.* 

*  There  are  many  traditional  explanations  which  we  hare 
not  embodied  in  the  foregoing  indications,  and  some  few  con- 
clusions which,  if  authenticated,  are  by  no  means  common,  an4 
•ot  required  in  a  popular  treatise. 

•  a 


loo  Chiromancy. 

Thus  the  general  temperament  being  first  ascer- 
tained by  the  mounts  of  the  hand,  and  the  various 
influences  taken  into  consideration,  we  may  with 
success  pronounce  upon  the  past  and  the  present, 
and  from  them  foreshadow  the  natural  future.  But 
Providence  may  overrule  all  our  anticipations ;  the 
Soul  may  achieve  a  victory  over  both  Head  and 
Heart 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   LINE    OF   LIFE. 

"HERE,"  says  M.  Desbarrolles,  "commences  the 
painful  portion  of  the  science.  At  this  point 
we  taste  the  fruit  of  knowledge  of  good  or 
evil.  Here  we  learn  to  read  the  hands  of  those 
whom  we  love ;  the  finger  of  death  or  the  life  of 
pain ;  the  loss  of  sight,  or  any  other  affliction  which 
threatens  them.  We  can  prognosticate  how  many 
years  we  have  to  live ;  and  even  if  we  endeavour  to 
put  aside  the  thought  by  telling  ourselves  that  Chiro- 
mancy is  not  to  be  credited,  the  idea  haunts  us  all  the 
same." 

The  line  of  Life  has  already  been  pointed  out ;  it 
cannot  be  mistaken,  and  it  exists  upon  every  hand  in 
a  greater  or  less  degree.  When  it  surrounds  the 
Mount  of  the  .thumb,  long,  well-made,  with  a  good 


The  Line  of  Life.  lol 

colour,  the  life  may  be  expected  to  be  long  and 
happy,  without  any  great  trouble;  and  such  a  line 
means  a  good  character  in  the  individual  possess- 
ing it. 

We  may,  on  the  contrary,  prognosticate  that  when 
the  line  is  wide  and  rather  pale,  it,  in  common  with 
all  lines  of  the  same  character,  has  an  evil  tendency, 
and  bad  health,  as  well  as  a  low  type  of  disposition 
is  present.  The  student  of  Chiromancy  after  a  while 
will  also  examine  the  lines  crossing  the  line  of  life  or 
which  pass  close  to  it,  and  from  these  things  can  per- 
ceive that  illness  or  accident  is  likely  to  arrive  at  a 
certain  time.  How  they  can  estimate  the  periods  at 
which  the  maladies  will  occur  may  be  now  explained. 

We  have  given  (Fig.  10)  a  rough  diagram  of  the  hand 
divided  into  periods  of  five  and  ten  years  (see  also 
Frontispiece).  The  line  of  Life  is  thus  divided  into 
a  certain  number  of  parts,  each  representing  a  portion 
of  our  existence,  which  are  marked  in  the  following 
way.  This  is  by  no  means  a  modern  idea,  but  it  has 
been  adopted  by  late  writers  as  well  as  by  the  old 
Chiromants.* 

To  arrive  at  a  proper  period  we  must  have  an 
ordinary  compass,  and  having  put  one  point  upon 
the  root  of  the  forefinger  and  the  other  upon  the 
centre  of  the  mount  of  Apollo,  describe  an  arc  which 
will  cut  the  Line  of  life.  The  point  at  which  the  arc 
thus  described  intersects  the  line  of  life,  gives  us  ten 
years,  the  first  ten  years  of  our  life  counting  from  the 

*  This  is  merely  a  geometrical  rule  which  has  been  prescribed 
for  dividing  the  line  of  Life.  The  proper  approximate  division* 
will  be  found  on  the  Frontispiece,  and  must  thence  be  mentally 
adap'ed  U  any  hand  under  examination. 


IO2  Chiromancy. 

commencement  of  the  line  below  the  indea.  finger. 
For  the  second  circle  the  moving  point  is  placed 
between  the  third  and  fourth  fingers,  the  next  on 
the  mount  of  Mercury,  the  fourth  curve  is  drawn 
from  the  extremity  of  the  third  joint  of  the  little 
finger  at  the  point  where  it  leaves  the  percussion,  the 
next  circle  at  an  equal  distance  down  the  side,  and 
so  the  next.  We  have  then  reached  sixty  years ;  the 
places  at  which  all  these  circles  cut  the  line  of  life 
being  marked  10,  20,  30,  40,  50,  and  60  years  re- 
spectively. When  the  seventh  circle  has  been  des- 
cribed, the  distance  for  the  eighth  must  be  reduced 
one-half  on  the  percussion,  and  we  shall  thus  reach 
loo  years,  the  spot  where  the  line  of  life  trends 
beneath  the  ball  of  the  thumb. 

The  reason  of  this  may  be  briefly  explained.  If 
we  draw  a  line  towards  the  ball  of  the  thumb  direct 
from  the  root  of  the  mount  of  Saturn,  we  shall  under 
nearly  all  circumstances  touch  the  ten  years'  point. 
There  may  be  a  slight  space,  but  a  year  or  two  will 
make  practically  little  difference,  and  absolute  exact- 
ness must  not  be  expected.  The  line  from  Saturn, 
which  represents  our  fate,  thus  indicates  that  until 
we  are  ten  years'  old,  or  thereabouts,  we  are  under  the 
dominion  of  destiny  or  fate,  and  we  cannot  control 
our  own  actions.  This  will  account  for  the  lengthened 
space  in  the  hand  before  we  reach  the  first  period  of 
ten  years. 

Subsequently  the  spaces  up  to  70  are  all  equal, 
because  life,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  is  under 
control  pretty  equally  up  to  that  time ;  and  after  that 
the  life  becomes  feeble  and  wearied,  so  the  lines  are 
reduced  in  length,  for  then  are  our  years  but  laboui 


The  Line  of  Life.  103 

and  sorrow  in  the  multitude  of  instances.  In  the 
diagram  (see  Frontispiece)  the  various  periods  are 
marked  as  a  specimen  of  an  ordinary  hand,  so  that 
any  one  by  careful  comparison  may  ascertain  for  him- 
self how  long  he  may,  under  ordinary  natural  cir- 
cumstances, expect  to  live. 

[We  must  again  repeat  that  other  lines  may  have  a 
decided  influence  upon  the  line  of  life ;  and  though 
the  person  may  actually  exist  for  many  years,  his  life 
may  be  practically  cut  short  by  illness,  and  so  his  want 
of  health  may  render  him  helpless.  All  circumstances 
and  surroundings  must  be  equally  balanced ;  so  if  a 
long  line  be  accompanied  by  a  deviation  at  a  certain 
epoch,  extending  towards  the  line  of  the  Head,  an 
attack  of  the  brain  from  overwork  or  application  is 
likely  to  supervene.  These  are  merely  warnings 
written  for  our  instruction  and  guidance  by  Nature.] 

These  facts,  then,  being  kept  in  mind,  we  can  pro- 
ceed to  the  examination  of  the  line  of  Life,  and 
endeavour  to  derive  some  consolation  from  it 

The  line  of  Life  should  be  clear,  well-defined,  and 
of  a  decided  colour.  If  it  entirely  surrounds  the 
mount  of  the  thumb  and  fulfil  the  above  conditions, 
life  will  be  long  and  happy ;  the  constitution  is  thereby 
pronounced  good  and  the  health  vigorous. 

On  the  contrary,  when  the  line  is  broad,  pale,  and 
of  unequal  width  in  its  course,  and  intersected  by 
other  lines,  it  is  a  sign  of  a  weakly  constitution,  even 
of  vitiated  blood,  and  of  a  succession  of  illnesses. 
In  fact,  the  very  opposite  of  the  good  qualities  fore- 
shadowed by  the  clear,  well-cut  line. 

In  the  case  of  the  frequent  intersections  hinted  at 
above,  the  maladies  to  be  feared  will  arise  from  the 


104  Chiromancy. 

influences  of  the  portions  of  the  hands  whence  the 
cross-lines  come.  If  the  lines  extend  from  the  Una 
of  the  Heart,  the  illness  will  be  caused  by  the  chilling 
of  heart  affections  or  some  cause  connected  with  the 
Heart.  If  the  cross-lines  extend  from  the  line  of  the 
Head,  the  disease  or  malady  will  be  traceable  to  the 
brain,  or  from  injury  to  the  head  by  fall  or  blows. 
Lines  extending  across  it  from  the  mount  of  Venus 
tell,  as  may  be  anticipated,  the  sorrows  arising  from 
misplaced  affection  or  unhappy  passion.  But  if  such 
lines  extend  from  the  centre  portion  of  the  hand  or 
the  plain  of  Mars,  the  trials  and  troubles  will  come, 
or  have  already  come,  from  the  struggle  with  life,  com- 
mercial losses,  or  worries  of  a  material  nature. 

If  the  line  of  Life  be  duplicated  (as  in  Fig.  18),  it 
means  a  luxurious  existence;  and  if  it  give  the  appear- 
ance of  a  chain,  or  a  linked  and  broken  connection, 
a  sad  and  precarious  life  may  be  anticipated  or  pro- 
nounced upon.  When  this  line  is  seen  with  roots  or 
branches  extending  to  the  mount  of  Jupiter,  it  indi- 
cates an  ambitious  nature,  not  necessarily  of  a  bad 
description,  but  one  which  may  honestly  desire  wealth 
and  honour,  after  hard  and  continued  labour.  In 
other  words,  the  victory  over  circumstances  gained  by 
pride  and  will  indicated  by  Jupiter. 

If  the  line  of  Life  be  short,  the  life  itself  will  be 
brief,  and  if  a  decided  break  or  interruption  occur 
during  its  course,  we  may  expect  the  occurrence  of 
some  serious  illness.  When,  for  instance,  we  find  a 
line  broken,  as  shown  in  the  diagram,  page  105,  we 
may  at  once,  and  with  certainty,  conclude  that  the 
individual  has  had  an  illness  which  laid  him  at 
death's  door.  But  if  the  illness  has  already  passed, 


The  Line  of  Life. 


105 


all  fear  is  over,  there  will  be  no  recurrence  of  the 
attack — not  of  such  a  violent  nature  at  any  rate ; 
the  serious  danger  is  over.  But  if  broken  in  both 
hands  it  means  death.* 

In  considering  the  line  of  Life,  we  must  be  careful 
to  examine  its  appearance  and  position  relatively  with 
the  line  of  the  Head  which  unites  with  or  approaches 
to  it.  If  these  lines  join,  making  a  regular  acute  angle, 
the  prognostication  is  good,  and  indicates  prudence 


and  sagacity  in  business  and  in  worldly  affairs,  as  well 
as  bodily. 

If,  on  the  contrary,  the  lines  do  not  touch  it  argues 
want  of  forethought,  "  the  head  will  not  advance  with 
the  life,"  and  projects  conceived  will  be  left  to  wither 
and  die.  When  a  large  space  intervenes  between 
these  lines,  it  means  that  the  disposition  is  too  frank, 

*  We  may  observe  that  when  the  lower  portion  of  the  broken 
line  tends  towards  the  Mount  of  the  Thumb  death  is  inevitable. 
If  it  turn  in  the  other  direction  there  is  hope. 


io6  Chiromancy. 

and  unreflecting  in  its  utterances,  or  that  envy,  vanity 
01  even  a  want  of  intelligence,  perhaps  falsehood,  are 
indicated 

If  the  intervening  spaces  be  very  large,  and  the 
lines  red  and  strongly  marked,  the  supposition  is 
cruelty,  vanity,  love  of  money;  or  a  violent  death 
may  be  foreshadowed.  We  say  foreshadowed  ad- 
visedly, for,  of  course,  circumstances  will  alter  cases, 
and  the  evil  day  may  be  staved  off  by  higher  influ- 
ences, and  the  evil  may  disappear. 

Again,  in  a  case  in  which  the  line  of  Life  and  the 
line  of  the  Head  continue  for  a  long  time  united  at 
the  beginning,  and  do  not,  as  they  ought  to  do,  sepa- 
rate beneath  the  mount  of  Jupiter  (or  index)  the 
supposition  is  that  the  development  of  the  intellectual 
life  has  been  naturally  slow,  or  retarded  by  some 
means  ;  and  that  the  child  has  been  long  in  reaching 
the  normal  standard  of  intellect 

If  the  line  of  Life  unite  with  the  line  of  the  Heart, 
and  also  the  line  of  the  Head,  there  is  danger  of 
violent  death.  In  this  case  the  influence  of  the  head 
and  heart  are  considered  to  be  too  great  for  the  life 
and  dominate  it,  leading  it  into  danger.  Riches  maf 
be  expected  if  smaller  lines  extend  from  the  line  o 
Life  upwards,  for  our  hopes  and  aspirations  point  up 
to  dignities ;  a  bifurcation  at  the  point  of  departure 
tells  us  of  vanity. 

Sometimes  little  points  or  circles  may  be  observed 
upon  the  line  of  Life  :  when  these  are  noticed,  they 
indicate  maladies  connected  with  the  heart  or  wounds 
(tradition  tells  us  they  indicate  the  loss  of  one  eye 
or  both).  Black  spots  mean  weakness  of  the  heart 
or  consequent  dangers. 


The  Line  of  Life. 

Connected  with  the  line  of  Life  is  the  line  of  Mars, 
a  kind  of  duplicate  or  secondary  evidence  of  vital 
force,  which  may  announce  success  in  the  camps  of 
Venus  or  of  Mars,  ascending  as  the  other  indications 
of  the  hand  point  to  the  tendency  of  the  individual. 
Sometimes  it  will  accompany  the  line  of  Life  through- 
out its  course,  then  riches  may  be  expected  or 
honours.  "  Sister  "  lines  are  usually  good  omens, 
unless  they  appear  with  bad  characteristics,  when, 


FIG.  12. 


instead  of  alleviating,  they  only  serve  to  confirm  the 
evil  influences  of  the  original  line. 

There  are  some  tokens  upon  the  line  of  Life 
which  are  best  illustrated  by  small  diagrams.  For 
instance,  we  perceive  above,  in  Fig.  1 2,  a  drawing  of 
a  hand  with  two  small  points,  or  lines  rather,  on  either 
side  of  this  short  line  of  life.  These  symptoms 
indicate  a  short  life  and  sudden  death.  We  may 
also  find  branches  springing  upwards  and  downwards 


io8 


Chiromancy. 


from  the  line  of  Life,  and  they  tell  us  of  violent 
desires  and  of  fading  health  respectively,  as  under- 
neath (Fig.  13). 

There  are  other  lines  sometimes  very  clearly 
marked,  which  arise  from  the  mount  of  Venus,  and  cut 
into  the  line  of  life,  &c.  This  is  an  indication  that 
our  destiny  is  being,  or  has  been,  interfered  with  by 
Venus  (Fig.  14). 


\ 


FIG.  13. 


FIG.  14. 


To  men  of  letters  and  those  of  sedentary  and 
studious  habits,  we  will  add  a  word  of  warning,  even 
at  the  risk  of  having  addressed  to  us  the  taunt, 
"  Physician,  heal  thyself."  Whenever  such  a  person 
finds  the  line  of  life  on  his  hand  parted  or  bifurcated, 
he  should  be  cautious  in  working  his  brain.  Too 
much  fatigue  will  surely  in  his  case  bring  on  disease 
or  malady  of  the  brain.  So  let  him  or  her  never 
unduly  prolong  the  tension  of  literary  labour  or 
study.  When  the  work  kis  pressing  we  are  apt  to 


The  Live  of  Life.  109 

labour  unduly,  and  continue  to  tax  our  already  hard- 
worked  brain.  Our  own  hand  plainly  indicates  the 
risk  we  run  in  this  way.  If  we  ourselves  do  not 
exercise  due  caution,  the  inevitable  failing  of  health 
and  brain-power  will  overtake  us.  The  lines  dis- 
tinctly point  to  a  severe  illness  in  our  declining  days, 
which  will  be  intimately  connected  with  the  brain. 
The  warning  will  not  be  neglected,  depend  upon  it ; 
and  we  would  equally  advise  all  our  readers,  whose 
avocations  necessitate  continued  application  in 
literary  or  kindred  pursuits,  to  pause  in  time,  and 
give  Chiromancy  the  credit  which  it  deserves.  We 
Bay  again,  beware ! 

"  Be  warned  in  time  by  other's  harm, 
And  ye  will  do  full  well." 

A  cross  at  the  end  of  the  line  of  life  indicates  a 
good  clever  man  or  woman,  but  one  who  may,  and 
probably  will,  love  his  worldly  possessions.  Small 
holes  or  figures  of  a  dark  colour  in  the  beginning  of 
the  line  tell  of  murderous  tendencies. 

We  may  thus  read  our  characters  and  probable 
destiny  from  our  line  of  Life.  Our  knowledge  of  our- 
selves will  be  largely  increased  by  this  reading  of  the 
palm.  The  knowledge  may  tend  to  our  unhappiness 
at  first  j  but  if  we  are  wise  and  take  the  warnings  in 
time  which  are  written  for  our  learning,  we  shall,  in 
all  probability,  be  able  to  avoid  the  danger,  and  turn 
our  sorrows  into  blessings. 


I IO  Chiromancy. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   LINE  OF   SATURN. 

As  fixed  as  Fate  I  "  There  is  no  use  in  attempting 
to  alter  destiny,"  say  some  people.  What  must  be, 
must  be.  Che  sard  sard,  and  such-like  phrases,  in- 
dicate the  taint  of  fatalism  which  is  inherent  in  so 
many  minds.  "A  man  who  is  bora  to  be  hanged 
will  never  be  drowned,"  says  the  proverb ;  and  the 
phrase  may  be  true  when  we  find  any  man  who  was 
born  to  be  hanged  I  We  may  rough-hew  our  des- 
tinies, but  Providence  shapes  our  ends ;  and  to  say 
that  any  person,  who  is  a  free  agent  in  the  world,  with 
a  brain  and  hands,  a  soul  and  sense  to  make  his  way 
in  it,  and  into  a  better  one,  is  born  to  a  violent  and 
disgraceful  death,  is  as  ridiculous  as  to  contend  that 
Judas  Iscariot  was  destined  from  eternity  to  betray 
his  Redeemer.  Circumstances,  and  our  own  passions 
may  bring  us  to  such  an  end ;  our  unchecked  avarice 
or  lust  may  bring  us  to  grief,  but  we  have  always  a 
chance,  and  a  loophole  for  escape.  "  Fatality "  is 
not  to  be  considered  as  final,  nor  incapable  of  being 
averted. 

These  observations  have  been  made  because  we  are 
about  to  turn  our  attention  to  the  Line  of  Saturn,  or  of 
fate,  or  "  chance,"  as  it  is  sometimes  most  erroneously 
termed ;  for  there  is  no  such  thing  as  "  chance." 
The  indication  of  circumstances  over  which  we  have 
no  immediate  or  direct  control  are  marked  upon 


The  Line  of  Saturn.  in 

Saturn's  line,  and  here  the  fatalist  will  come  up  tri- 
umphantly to  convict  us  out  of  our  own  mouth.  But 
we  may  assure  any  such  that  there  is  no  need  foi 
"  cock-crowing."  We  plant  a  seed,  and  it  comes  up, 
but  we  have  no  control  over  the  result.  We  plant 
seeds  in  our  lives,  the  crop  must  come  up,  the  fruit 
must  be  reaped,  but  we  need  not  eat  it  if  be  injurious, 
nor  need  we  continue  to  plant  evil  seeds.  The  soil 
may  be  cleared  after  the  first  crop ;  and  what  is  play- 
fully  termed  our  "  wild  oats,"  may  be  rooted  up  and 
thrown  away. 

The  indications  of  Saturn's  line  may,  therefore,  as 
will  be  anticipated,  be  various,  and  the  line  itself 
vary  in  its  direction.  Its  point  of  departure  is 
irregular,  and  four  places  are  indicated  whence  it 
may  spring.  It  may  arise  from  the  line  of  Life, 
from  the  plain  of  Mars,  from  the  line  of  the  wrist  (or 
Rascette),  or  from  the  mount  of  the  Moon,  and  all 
this  has  a  meaning ;  for  if  we  look  back  and  compare 
the  indication  of  the  mounts  and  lines  whence  and 
whither  our  destiny  leads  us,  we  shall  find  abundant 
evidence  of  the  tendency  of  our  natures,  and  the 
natural  ending  or  progress  of  our  lives,  if  they  be 
permitted  to  go  on  unchecked  by  good  influences. 

The  points  of  arrival  of  the  line  of  Saturn  are  as 
varied  as  their  points  of  departure.  It  may  cease  in 
the  centre  of  the  hand,  upon  the  line  of  the  head, 
upon  the  line  of  the  heart,  or,  again,  on  the  mount  of 
Jupiter,  or  Apollo,  or  even  towards  Mercury.  But  it 
usually  ends  on  the  middle  finger,  and  thus  is  called 
the  line  of  Saturn.  Let  us  consider  it,  and  take  the 
cases  separately. 

We  will,  in  the  first  case,  suppose  the  line  to  risa 


112  Chiromancy. 

from  the  wrist ,  and,  being  of  a  good  colour,  clearly 
marked,  rising  steadily  as  far  as  the  first  joint,  or 
centre  of  the  middle  finger,  it  indicates  unlimited 
good  fortune,  notwithstanding  all  adverse  influences 
to  the  contrary,  particularly  if  it  so  appears  on  the 
left  hand.  In  the  right  only,  such  success  will  be 
brought  about  by  our  own  exertions  more  than  by 
legacies  or  gifts.  Action  is  in  the  right  hand. 

If  the  line  be  not  so  clearly  indicated  to  the  middle 
of  the  Saturnian  finger,  we  may  anticipate  obstacles 
and  interruptions  in  our  career,  which  will  depend 
upon  the  place  or  line  in  which  the  "Saturnine" 
stops.  For  instance,  if  it  disappears  at  the  line  of 
the  heart,  our  interruptions  will  come  from  sentimental 
causes,  which  will  prevent  us  working  for  ourselves, 
perhaps.  If  it  cease  in  the  line  of  the  head,  we  rnay 
fear  a  sudden  shock,  or  a  failure  of  mind,  particularly 
if  the  line  of  Life  be  bifurcated,  as  already  mentioned. 
If  it  extends  high  up  the  middle  finger,  happiness,  of 
evil  fortune,  may  ensue  in  a  high  degree. 

The  line  may  commence  faintly  and  become  more 
clear.  This  forebodes  a  better  ending  of  life  than 
beginning.  In  the  contrary  case  the  opposite  result 
\iay  be  sought  or  feared. 

If  good  at  the  beginning  and  subsequently  tortuous 
and  faint,  or  even  disappearing  entirely,  it  indicates 
that  the  happy  circumstances  of  our  early  days  will 
not  continue  in  after  years.  A  fading  in  the  centre 
presages  troubles  in  middle  life  (or  if  it  be  cut  by 
other  lines) ;  but  the  end  of  our  days  will  be  pros- 
perous if  the  line  be  clear  at  the  upper  end. 

There  are  cases  in  which  the  line  of  Fate  is  alto- 
gether wanting — in  the  Esquimaux  we  do  not  find 


The  Line  of  Saturn.  113 

ft  as  a  rule.  The  lives  of  such  people  have  no  par- 
ticular aims,  and  though  there  is  no  great  risk  run  by 
them,  an  accident  may  suddenly  cut  them  off  from 
their  insignificant  lives.  To  such  people  there  still 
remain  the  same  opportunities  for  improving  their 
fortunes  as  for  others.  It  is  only  by  application  and 
work  that  they  will  obtain  anything.  They  must 
remember  the  proverb,  "  Heaven  helps  those  who 
help  themselves;"  which,  however,  does  not  apply 
to  thieving. 

We  have  said  that  when  the  Saturnian  Line  ascends 
nearly  to  the  first  joint  of  the  middle  finger,  the  bearer's 
lot  will  be  a  happy  one.  This  may  equally  arise  from 
good-fortune,  or  from  bad  or  evil  tendencies  directed 
by  will  to  a  proper  use.  Any  surplus  passion  denotes 
energy,  and  this  need  not  be  directed  wrongly.  A 
person  may  possess  a  bad  hand,  full  of  energy  for 
self-gratification,  but  if  he  lead  all  this  into  a  more 
healthy  channel  he  will  accomplish  much  in  the  world 
— the  conquest  of  self ;  such  a  man  will  most  probably 
succeed  in  what  he  undertakes. 

When  the  line  of  Fate  rises  upon  the  mount  of 
the  Moon  and  proceeds  directly  towards  the  middle 
finger  it  is  a  good  sign,  and  indicative  ef  fortune 
likely  to  accrue  from  the  caprice  of  some  one.  The 
reason  is,  because  the  moon  is  the  parent  of  change 
and  caprice.  If  the  line  rise  direct,  with  branches 
tending  upwards,  it  means  riches  in  after-life. 

From  the  line  of  Life  the  Saturnian  line  rises 
sometimes.  This  indicates  a  good  heart,  and  fortune 
gained  by  meritorious  labour  in  life.  Any  cutting 
lines  modify  the  good  fortune,  which  may  eventuate 
in  evil.  Again,  when  the  finejer  of  Saturn  is  entered 

I 


114 


Chiromancy. 


evil  is  always  to  be  dreaded,  and  the  higher  the  line 
rises  in  the  middle  finger  the  greater  is  the  danger  to 
the  individual. 

We  annex  diagrams  of  the  line  showing  caprice 
(15),  and  of  misfortune  followed  by  fortune  (16). 


FIG.  15. 


FIG.  1 6. 


When  Saturn's  line  is  finally  interrupted  upon  the 
line  of  the  head  or  heart,  we  may  expect  that  oppor- 
tunity will  be  arrested  by  circumstances  affecting  the 
brain  or  the  affections ;  but  if  it  passes  through  the 
latter  line  upwards,  it  means  hard  work  and  travail, 
or,  perhaps,  in  consequence,  a  heart  broken  by  despair, 
and  failure  of  exertion  in  a  good  cause. 

A  double  line  of  Saturn,  particularly  when  the  lines 
are  tortuous,  means  trouble  and  infirmities  connected 
with  abuse  of  the  pleasures  of  this  life.  So  tortuous 
lines  at  the  upper  end  of  the  line  give  us  anticipations 
of  unrest  after  a  happy  life.  Pride  is  indicated  by  a 
line  passing  from  the  line  of  the  head  to  the  mount  of 


The  Line  of  Saturn.  115 

Jupiter,  and  if  the  Saturnine  line  decline  towards  it, 
and  is  lost  in  the  same  place,  folly,  or  even  madness, 
may  be  menaced. 

In  like  manner  Saturn's  line,  when  it  proceeds  to- 
wards Mercury,  &c.,  modifies  or  alters  the  influence 
of  the  mount  upon  which  it  fixes  itself.  Towards 
Mercury  it  indicates  commercial  success,  or  fame  in 
art  and  eloquence.  To  Apollo  it  is  happiness  by  art 
or  riches,  according  to  the  surroundings  in  which  the 
individual  exists.  Towards  Jupiter,  happiness  obtained 
by  ambition,  and  pride  of  place.  Passing  (broken) 
across  the  plain  of  Mars  we  must  expect  a  fight  for 
existence,  either  moral  or  physical.  So  the  influence 
of  Saturn  is  generally  adverse,  giving  a  cynical  or 
unhappy  tinge  to  our  desires,  trouble  and  toil  upon 
our  way. 

It  would  appear,  however,  that  labour  to  a  great 
extent,  or  occupation  of  a  useful  kind,  has  an  influ- 
ence also  in  determining  the  lines  upon  the  hands, 
and  changes  have  been  often  noticed  after  the  lapse  of 
years.  If  this  be  so — and  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt 
it — it  follows  that  the  mind  and  soul  have  power  by 
the  medium  of  will  to  modify  or  reduce  the  adverse 
lines  upon  the  hands  ;  and  if  they  can  thus  alter  the 
lines  and  indications  upon  the  hands,  and  in  this  way 
show  us  that  "  destiny  "  can  be  altered,  we  perceive 
at  once  that  we  have  it  in  our  power,  after  effort 
properly  directed,  to  improve  ourselves,  and  bid  defi- 
ance to  what  some  term  "  predestination  "  for  evil 

We  may  now  rest  assured  that  we  have  our  fate  in 
our  own  hands,  in  every  sense  of  the  term,  and  it 
should  be  our  care  to  improve  our  position  and  van- 
quish the  (evil)  tendencies  of  the  line  of  Saturn. 

i  * 


1 16  Chiromancy. 

These  tendencies  on  one  hand  are  confirmed  by 
the  other.  For  example,  we  know  that  the  "  line  of 
chance  "  may  depart  from  three  different  places  in  dif- 
ferent individuals,  but  though  it  arise  from  the  mount 
of  Venus  in  the  left  hand,  it  is  merely  an  indication 
of  a  loving  or  amorous  nature,  while  in  the  right  the 
same  indicates  a  person  determined  to  carry  out  his 
amorous  designs  at  any  hazard.  In  the  same  way  the 
line  setting  out  from  the  wrist  of  the  left  hand  means 
that  in  combating  the  obstacles  which  we  expect  to 
meet  we  shall  be  more  indolent  or  thoughtful  than  if 
the  line  appears  so  in  the  right  hand,  which  means  full 
action  in  the  struggle. 

Similarly  the  line  in  question,  when  it  starts  from 
the  mount  of  the  Moon  indicates  long  journeys,  or  a 
desire  for  them.  These,  when  observed  in  the  left 
hand,  show  they  have  been  planned  ;  the  right  palm 
will  tell  us  of  those  accomplished.  If  two  branches 
separate  from  the  Moon  and  Venus,  our  travels  will 
be  tinder  the  influence  of  the  opposite  sex,  man  or 
woman,  as  the  case  may  be.  In  the  same  way  fatal 
influence  of  an  individual  over  one  of  the  opposite 
sex  can  be  guessed  when  the  line  of  Saturn  (in  two 
branches)  divides,  one  branch  going  from  the  mount 
of  Venus,  and  the  other  from  the  centre  of  the  hand ; 
the  planning  and  carrying  out  of  such  ideas  being 
shown  by  the  left  and  right  hands  respectively. 
When  these  divisions  exist  in  both  hands  the  will 
and  power  to  carry  it  out  are  both  present  in  the 
individual. 

We  may  summarize  the  general  signs  thus : — 

Under  Jupiter,  thoughts  and  acts  characterized  by 
ambition. 


The  Line  of  Saturn.  117 

Under  Saturn,  thoughts  and  acts  relative  to  agricul- 
tural arrangements. 

Under  Apollo,  thoughts  and  projects  for  renown  in 
the  world  of  art  or  literature. 

Under  Mercury,  interested  views,  or  commercial 
interests. 

Under  Mars,  violence,  love  of  conquest. 

The  Line  of  Saturn  ceasing  at  the  line  of  Heart 
on  both  hands  indicates  sentiment  and  action,  which 
has  benevolence  for  the  issue.  The  left  side  thinks, 
and  the  right  hand  acts.  So  its  termination  in  the 
line  of  Life  means  that  our  destiny  will  be  dependent 
upon  the  state  of  our  health. 

We  may,  therefore,  regard  our  destiny  from  the  two 
standpoints  of  thought  and  action;  the  spirit,  or 
thought  influence  being  shown  upon  the  left  hand ; 
the  action  being  indicated  upon  the  right.  Both 
hands  must  accordingly  be  inspected,  and  the  lines 
carefully  compared ;  most  carefully  compared,  for  a 
serious  error  may  be  easily  made,  and  offence  unin- 
tentionally given,  by  a  hasty  inspection. 


Ii8  Chiromancy. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   HEPATIC  OR   LIVER   LINE  AND  THE  "  CINGULUM 
VENER1S." 

THIS  line  is  the  barometer  of  Health.  The  wire,  so  to 
speak,  which  being  "  connected "  chiefly  with  the 
liver — a  most  important  organ — informs  us  concern- 
ing our  state  ot  bodily  health. 

The  Hepatic  line  forms  an  angle  between  the  line 
of  Life  and  the  line  of  the  Head ;  in  other  words,  it  is. 
the  connecting  link,  or  point  of  contact,  between  the 
heart  and  the  brain.  In  England  we  all  suffer  in  a 
more  or  less  degree  from  disarrangement  of  the  liver 
at  times.  The  appearance  of  the  line  at  present 
under  consideration  has  therefore  a  wide  interest, 
though  it  is  not  to  be  found  in  every  one.  It  apper- 
tains to  the  material  portion  of  the  hand. 

We  will  now,  as  in  preceding  chapters,  consider 
the  various  appearances  generally  shown  by  the 
Hepatic  line,  as  compared  with  the  others. 

The  line  of  the  Liver  usually  rises  from  the  root  of 
the  thumb  near  the  line  of  Life,  by  the  wrist,  and 
passes  directly  towards  the  mount  of  Mercury,  and 
may  unite  with  the  line  of  the  Head  in  the  percus- 
sion of  the  hand.  (See  Fig.  8  and  Frontispiece.) 

If  the  line  commence  with  or  near  the  line  of  Life, 
without  cutting  it,  and  joins  the  line  of  the  Head,  i/ 
it  appears  well  coloured,  direct,  moderately  well- 
marked,  pure  and  clear,  it  indicates  good  health  and 


The  Hepatic  or  Live*  Line.  119 

blood,  harmony  in  the  various  juices  of  the  body ; 
good  memory,  success  in  business,  and  a  good  con- 
science. It  also  shows  that  heart  and  brain  are  in 
equilibria. 

If,  however,  it  unite  with  the  line  of  Life  it 
announces  weakness  of  heart ;  if  separated  from  it,  it 
indicates  long  life.  It  may  appear  winding  or  undu- 
lating ;  in  this  case  bilious  attacks  are  to  be  feared, 
and  also  headaches,  &c.,  are  premised,  especially  if  it 
be  unequally  coloured  and  red  when  it  reaches  the 
line  of  the  Head.  A  thin  and  red  line  of  the  liver 
tells  us  of  fever — very  highly  coloured  of  brutality  or 
pride ;  while  if  it  appear  intersected  and  broken,  it 
means  weakness  of  digestion  and  stomachic  affec- 
tions. 

These  indications  can  easily  be  read  by  any  one  for 
himself.  He  can  easily  verify  by  experience  the  facts 
as  shown  upon  his  hands.  Sometimes  this  line  will 
be  found  starting  from  the  mount  of  Mars ;  occasion- 
ally it  forms  part  of  the  line  of  Life ;  sometimes  it  will 
be  found  ascending  to  the  fingers  ;  when  it  is  not  found 
at  all  it  signifies  delicacy  of  skin,  activity  of  body, 
and  an  aptitude  for  vivacity  in  speech  and  conversar 
tion. 

A  cross  found  upon  the  Hepatic  line  is  a  warning  of 
illness.  Ascending  well-formed  to  the  base  of  the 
little  finger  it  presages  long  life,  while  if  it  be  thick 
and  intersected  it  means  old  age  and  failing  health 
therein 

We  must  be  cautious  when  we  find  this  line  unit- 
ing under  bad  conditions  with  the  line  of  the  Head, 
for  such  symptoms  denote  a  tendency  to  brain 
attacks,  in  consequence  of  a  too  intense  application, 


I2O  Chiromancy. 

and  they  may  lead  to  brain  disorders  and  suicide, 
Any  person,  therefore,  who  finds  these  signs  in  his 
hand  must  be  careful  not  to  overtax  his  brain  by 
study  or  work.  By  the  colour  and  clear  cutting  ol 
the  line  the  amount  of  labour  and  study  may  approxi- 
mately be  gauged,  and  the  pursuits  should  be  varied 
when  the  warning  is  first  heard  or  seen.  "  Occa- 
sionally," says  M.  Desbarrolles,  "the  line  of  the 
Liver  is  accompanied  by  a  sister  line,"  called  the 
"  Milky  Way "  (voie  lactde),  which  rises  in  the  wrist 
and  proceeds  to  the  mount  of  Mercury.  The 
tendency  of  this  second  line  is  to  increase  the  ardour 
of  love,  and  when  in  the  hands  with  the  most  unfor- 
tunate girdle  of  Venus  the  indications  are  decidedly 
of  an  evil  nature,  from  a  moral  point  of  view. 


THE  GIRDLE  OF  VENUS. 

We  have  not  much  to  say  concerning  this  Kne,  for 
details  are  quite  unnecessary.  We  trust  most  of  our 
readers  are  without  it,  for  its  tendencies  are  certainly 
immoral.  It  may  be  observed  between  Jupiter  and 
Saturn,  and  forms  a  semi-circle  ending  between  the 
ring  finger  and  the  little  finger. 

It  possesses  all  the  evil  tendencies  of  the  mounts ; 
false  ambition,  lying,  libertinism,  coquetry,  for  the 
ennobling  influence  of  the  Sun  is  lost.  Fate  and 
the  light  are  in  continual  opposition,  and  Venus's 
girdle  is  no  fit  zone  for  us  to  wear.  It  may,  however, 
be  found,  and  the  soul  may  quench  the  passions  ;  if  it 
end  upon  the  mount  of  Mercury  this  will  be  the 
case,  and  energy  will  quell  luxury  and  sensuality. 


The  Girdle,  of  Venus.  12 1 

As  we  have  already  remarked,  the  mind  and  religion 
can  neutralize  the  evil,  and  the  very  force  which  ill- 
used  would  bring  one  to  grief,  may,  properly  directed, 
lead  to  a  better  condition  of  things,  even  if  the  fatal 
zone  of  the  goddess  be  observable  on  our  palms. 
The  very  worst  feature  is  when  the  girdle  instead  o! 
turning  upwards  descends  much  broken  to  the  root 
of  the  little  finger  in  a  curve,  like  a  J  on  its  back. 
We  need  give  no  illustration  of  this  figure;  it  is 
sufficient  to  say  that  in  such  an  individual,  unless 
religious  training  and  strong  will  turn  his  mind  to 
higher  things,  the  chances  are  that  his  passions  will 
become  so  ungovernable  that  he  will  hesitate  at  no 
crime  short  of  murder  to  accomplish  his  desires. 

At  the  same  time,  to  have  these  evil  significations 
the  rest  of  the  hand  must  be  bad.  The  mount  of 
Venus  must  be  high,  the  outer  phalange  of  the 
thumb  small,  the  line  of  Heart  chained  and  pale.  It 
always  appears  in  an  intellectual  hand  to  a  certain 
extent,  but  modified  by  concomitant  signs,  for  it  is 
only  a  very  crass  intelligence  that  is  dead  to  the 
charms  of  passion,  and  has  no  appreciation  of  fervour 
in  affairs  of  the  heart. 

We  will  now  leave  this  unpleasant  topic,  which  w« 
are  obliged  to  mention,  and  come  to  the  more  healthy 
and  pleasant  regions  of  the  Sun, 


122  Chiromancy* 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  LINES  OF  THE  SUN  AND  OF  THK  WRIST. 
"MARRIAGE  LINES." 

WE  may  recall  to  our  minds  that  the  ring-finger  (the 
third)  is  under  the  dominion  of  the  Sun,  and  the 
mount  of  the  Sun,  or  Apollo,  is  situated  at  its  base. 
This  mount  is  frequently  traversed  by  vertical  lines  of 
more  or  less  intensity,  sometimes  parted  or  forked. 
The  line — or,  in  many  instances,  the  lines — are  known, 
as  those  of  the  Sun  or  of  Fame. 

It  may  happen  that  the  line  of  the  Sun  will  be 
found  starting  from  the  mount  of  the  Moon,  or  per- 
haps from  the  line  of  Life  ;  but  it  signifies  celebrity, 
riches,  success  in  our  endeavours,  love  of  art,  &c., 
according  to  that  one  of  the  three  "  worlds  "  whence  it 
departs.  If  it  should  be  found  rising  from  the  wrist 
the  prediction  will  be  all  the  more  favourable.  It  is 
said  that  President  Lincoln  had  this  line  developed 
in  a  very  high  degree,  and  the  fact  was  pointed  out 
to  him  that  the  construction  of  lines  in  his  hand 
predicted  a  violent  death,  which  prediction  was 
eventually  fulfilled. 

The  line  of  the  Sun  is  indicative  of  success  in  life, 
particularly  as  to  work  and  art  creations.  We  can, 
without  much  difficulty,  by  considering  the  starting 
and  arriving  points  of  the  line,  ascertain  in  what 
manner  the  individual  is  likely  to  obtain  renown.  It 
may  descend  upon  him  as  family  honour ;  it  may  be 


The  Lines  of  the  Sun.  123 

won  by  hard  work,  as  when  the  line  leaves  the  hollow 
of  the  hand.  It  may  only  signify  a  good- nature  or 
generosity  of  character  when  it  rises  from  the  line  of 
Heart. 

There  are  certain  forms  which  this  line  takes,  and 
much  depends  upon  it  We  will  give  a  few  indica- 
tions : — 

If  the  line  be  clear  and  deeply  furrowed,  and  opens 


FIG.  17. 

up  the  mount  of  the  Sun  "  like  a  ploughshare, "  it 
indicates  celebrity  in  art,  riches,  or  the  reward  of 
merit,  according  to  the  greater  or  less  elevated  quali- 
ties of  the  mind,  which  will  influence  the  body  and 
its  actions.  It  may  even  elevate  the  taste  of  the 
inartistic. 

The  appearance  of  several  small  lines  in  the  mount 
mean  a  great  devotion  to  art  and  a  desire  for  effect 
which  is  carried  too  far,  and  has  been  compared  to  an 
arrow  shot  into  space,  which  is  aimed  at  nothing  in 


124  Chiromancy. 

particular,  and  loses  itself  eventually.  Cross  lines 
indicate  obstacles,  and  disappointment  in  art  will 
probably  ensue. 

Two  or  more  lines  of  equal  depth  may  be  perceived 
cutting  into  the  mount  of  the  Sun.  If  they  are 
unequal  and  indirect  we  may  expect  to  find  a  desire 
for  many  branches  of  art,  which  tends  to  make  a  man 
a  "  Jack-of-all-trades  and  master  of  none."  The 
sun's  face  is  divided  and  concentration  upon  each  line 
is  weak ;  the  attempt  at  too  much  gives  us  no  decided 
success  in  any  one  direction. 

When  we  find  a  line  dividing  like  a  trident  upon 
the  mount  of  the  Sun  we  have  a  tendency  to  riches, 
glory,  and  talent ;  two  at  least  of  which  neutralizing 
each  other,  leaves  only  wealth  perhaps.  It  may 
happen  that  all  three  fail  to  arrive  at  any  decided 
point  So  in  the  case  of  two  lines  which  separate 
from  the  trunk-line  and  form  the  letter  V,  the  power 
is  then  neutralized  by  division,  and  we  may  entertain 
a  great  wish  for  success,  but  it  will  not  be  realized. 

But  if  we  find  these  branches  uniting  in  a  single  line 
upon  the  mount,  and  having  their  rise  from  the  line 
of  the  Heart,  we  may  predict  fortune  from  the  branch 
which  emanates  from  Mercury,  while  the  main  line 
indicates  glory,  and  the  Saturnine  one  merit  Three 
equal  furrows  upon  the  hill  mean  great  and  universal 
fame  when  they  are  of  the  same  form,  and  ascend 
towards  the  third  finger  with  equal  intensity. 

Lines  which  invade  without  actually  cutting  the 
line  of  the  Sun  mean  envious  interferences,  and  con- 
sequently bars  to  the  success  which  we  should  other- 
wise attain  in  due  time. 

The  above  are  the  principal  indications  of  good 


The  Lines  of  the  Wrist.  12$ 

and  bad  fortune  imparted  to  us  by  the  line  of  Apollo. 
We  find  in  the  hand  of  the  literary  or  artistic  man 
the  three  lines  running  upwards,  and  the  finger  has 
also  certain  promises  of  success  or  failure.  The  Sun 
attracts  the  favour  of  powerful  friends,  and  many 
ascending  lines  indicate  the  exuberance  of  "  sap  "  or 
vital  force.  When  we  find  the  lines  of  Apollo  and 
the  Moon  and  Venus  we  have  an  author's  hand, 
without  the  latter  a  critic's. 


THE  LINES  OF  THE  WRIST. 

We  will  conclude  this  chapter  with  a  few  remarks 
concerning  the  Rascette  or  "  bracelets,"  which  will  be 
found  in  two  or  three  distinctly  marked  lines  under- 
neath the  hand.  These,  with  a  tendency  to  rise, 
mean  elevated  ideas ;  if  they  descend  they  are  a 
mark  of  inferiority. 

By  the  number  of  the  lines  we  can,  in  a  measure, 
predict  the  duration  of  your  lives,  for  every  line 
represents  thirty  years  of  our  existence.  We  occa- 
sionally, comparatively  speaking,  find  three  lines  upon 
the  wrist.  These  show  us  that,  in  all  probability,  we 
have  a  long  life  before  us,  and  that  health  and  wealth 
await  us.  This  combination  of  three  lines  is  called 
the  royal  bracelet  or  "  triple  magic  bracelet,"  accord- 
ing to  French  writers. 

If  the  lines  be  continuous,  without  any  break,  and 
of  a  pure  red  colour,  we  may  fairly  expect  happiness 
in  our  lives ;  and  considering  the  possession  of  health 
and  wealth  is  indicated  by  the  three  lines,  it  is  not  an 
extraordinary  circumstance  that,  granting  these  two 


126  Ctiiromancy. 

blessings,  happiness  should  follow.  There  are,  how- 
ever, other  conditions  which  have,  in  these  as  in  all 
lines,  to  be  noted  and  taken  into  consideration,  so 
even  in  the  apparently  simple  reading  of  the  wrist 
lines  we  must  not  pronounce  too  quickly. 

Sometimes  a  chain-like  line  will  be  observed,  and 
this  appearance  usually  will  be  found  upon  the  first 
line  of  the  wrist.  Under  these  circumstances,  we  may 
anticipate  a  life  of  hard  work ;  but  such  will  eventually 
redound  to  our  benefit,  for  the  results  will  be  com- 
petency, if  not  riches,  though  we  shall  have,  or  have 
had,  to  work  steadily  to  gain  them.  M.  Desbarrolles 
mentions  a  cross  in  this  line  as  a  good  sign,  and  con- 
siders, in  such  a  case,  a  future  reward  certain  after 
toil. 

Long  and  continuous  travel  is  also  foretold  01 
marked  upon  these  lines  if  they  throw  up  branches 
which  terminate  upon  the  mount  of  the  Moon.  It 
would  be  interesting  to  observe  the  hands  of  certain 
"Special  Correspondents;"  and  even  commercial 
travellers  might  find  out  either  their  possible  destiny 
0r  actual  journeys  marked  upon  the  lines  of  the  wrist. 

There  is  another  condition  connected  with  the  linei 
rising  from  the  Rascette.  We  occasionally  have  per- 
ceived them  crossing  the  plain  of  Mars,  and  proceed- 
ing to  the  mount  of  the  Sun,  which  readers  will  remem- 
ber is  underneath  the  third  or  "  ring-finger."  Should 
this  line  be  present  it  foretells  honours  and  riches, 
which  may  be  expected  from  the  favour  of  some  in- 
fluential personages. 

Where  a  line,  rising  from  the  wrist,  near  the 
percussion  or  striking  part  of  the  hand,  passes  up 
the  mountain  of  the  Moon,  we  may  argue  from  it 


The  Lines  of  the  Wrist.  127 

"tribulation,"  if  it  be  directed  towards  the  Liver 
line,  and  more  particularly  if  the  line  thus  ascending 
show  any  irregularity  in  its  course. 

[There  is  an  old  authority  for  saying  that  if  a  line  can 
be  traced  from  the  wrist,  which  rises  upwards  directly 
to  the  index-finger,  the  individual  will  have  to  under- 
take long  voyages.  This  statement,  like  many  others 
of  the  old  students  of  Chiromancy,  must  be  accepted 
with  caution,  and  observers  must  judge  for  them- 
selves.] 

Two  branches  can  sometimes  be  seen  in  the  line 
of  the  Wrist.  When  this  is  so,  they  tell  us  of  a  person 
who  will,  in  all  probability,  become  very  rich,  and  re- 
ceive many  honours  and  distinction  in  his  old  age. 

A  cross  or  a  star  in  the  angle  thus  formed  is,  more- 
over, a  particularly  good  indication;  and  one  old 
authority  declares  he  will  be  healthy,  as  well  as  en- 
dowed with  the  world's  goods. 

Four  lines  are  rarely  discernible  upon  the  wrist ; 
when  this  is  the  case,  the  line  of  Life  will  be  found 
lengthened,  and  even  doubled ;  for  long  and  happy 
existence  may  be  almost  certainly  presaged  for  the 
fortunate  possessor.  Such  people  as  have  these  four 
lines  may — unless  some  specially  adverse  sign  inter- 
fere— attain  the  greatest  age  at  present  allotted  to 
mankind,  and  they  will  live,  probably,  till  they  are  one 
hundred  years  old. 

The  right  and  left  hands  must  be  studied  in  this, 
as  in  all  other  examinations ;  and  if  the  lines  of  the 
wrist  are  better  formed  upon  the  left  hand  than  upon 
the  right,  although  they  may  be  equal  in  number  upon 
both,  it  ce'^s  us  that  we  were  originally  intended  for  a 
better  existence — that  is,  that  we  have  somehow  or 


128  Chiromancy. 

other  played  with  our  naturally  good  constitutions, 
and  our  imprudence  has,  in  some  degree,  reacted 
npon  ourselves. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  lines  appear  so  upon  the 
right  hand  more  distinctly,  or  as  distinctly,  we  may 
accept  the  token  that,  by  care,  we  have  already  re- 
couped ourselves,  and  that  our  system  is  reinvigorated. 
This  is  another  proof  that  lines  alter  in  the  hand,  that 
bad  ones  may,  by  our  will  and  moral  improvement,  be 
modified  or  obliterated  to  a  certain  extent ;  and  there- 
fore every  one's  future,  humanly  speaking,  depends 
upon  his  adhesion  to  the  plain  and  straightforward 
laws  of  Nature. 

The  lines  striking  out  from  the  wrist:  these  in. 
dicate  the  tendencies  of  our  nature,  according  to  the 
mounts  towards  which  they  advance.  Venus  gives  ui 
one  class ;  Mars  another — the  latter  a  kind  of  blind 
bungling  into  difficulties  in  our  lives,  which  may 
swamp  us,  Mars  being  the  type  of  the  battle  ground 
— as  the  Moon  indicates  the  water,  and,  consequently, 
voyages  and  travel. 

Again,  a  line  from  the  wrist,  ascending  to  the  line 
of  the  Head,  means  a  change  from  an  inferior  to  a 
superior  position  in  life,  and,  of  course,  according  to 
the  mount  towards  which  it  aspires.  If  it  cut  the 
line  of  the  Heart,  and  ascend  one  of  the  upper  and 
"  divine "  mounts,  this  sign  is  extremely  fortunate, 
and  means  elevation  to  certain  dignities;  for  in- 
stance— 

(1)  If  it  ascend  Jupiter,  it  means  success  in  law 
or  command,  and  a  high  position  in  it 

(2)  If  it  ascend  Saturn,  the  bench  of  Bishops,  or 
elevation  in  science; 


The  Lines  of  tkf  Wrist  12Q 

(3)  If  it  ascend  the  Sun,  literary  success. 

(4)  If  it  reach  the  mount  of  Mercury,  it  indicates 
commercial  or  industrial  success,  already  attained,  01 
in  near  prospect. 

Nor  is  it  difficult  to  suppose  this  the  case.  Granting 
that  our  wills,  ruled  by  Providence,  impel  us  to  make 
these  efforts,  the  lines  will  come,  and,  unobserved,  will 
quickly  indicate  the  tendency  to  the  wished- for  goal 

Furthermore,  a  line  starting  from  the  Rascette  to 
a  branch  upon  the  mount  of  Venus,  and  extending  as 
far  as  Jupiter,  tells  us  of  a  rich  marriage,  a  wealthy 
alliance ;  and  if  a  cross  likewise  appears  upon  the 
mount  of  Jupiter,  the  match  will  be  a  happy  one. 

But  "marriages  are  made  in  Heaven,"  they  say. 
Well,  let  us  endeavour  to  find  what  the  hand  tells  us 
concerning  them.  If  the  line  end,  as  said,  in  Jupiter,  a 
rich  marriage. 

In  Saturn,  marriage  with  an  old  person. 

In  the  Sun,  marriage  with  a  person  of  artistic 
tastes. 

In  Mercury,  with  a  rich  merchant,  or  one  whose 
means  are  derived  from  commercial  undertakings. 

These  signs,  again,  are  dependent  upon  their  ap- 
pearances in  the  left  or  right  hand.  If  they  appear 
upon  the  former,  the  marriage  will  depend  upon  the 
good  offices  of  a  third  person.  If  upon  the  right 
hand,  the  success  will  be  entirely  owing  to  our  own 
efforts  or  worthiness  (tradition). 

Before  closing  this  chapter,  we  will  give  an  illustra. 
tion  and  a  description,  after  Desbarrolles,  of  a  per- 
fectly fortunate  hand — a  hand,  we  may  add,  for  the 
Job-like  consolation  of  our  readers,  very  seldom 
encountered  in  this  life,  perhaps,  because  perfect 

K 


130  Chiromancy. 

happiness,  even  from  a  purely  worldly  point  of  view, 
is  seldom,  if  ever,  attained.  There  are,  however, 
many  approaches  to  it,  and  we  trust  many  of  our 
readers  will  find  theirs  a  good  match.  Our  own  is  a 
sad  departure  from  the  perfection  here  foreshadowed. 
We  have  said  in  a  former  chapter,  that  the  girdle  of 
Venus  is  a  bad  sign,  and  so  it  is  in  a  bad  hand.  But 
in  the  hand  here  shown,  it  is  present  because  its 
affections  are  directed  into  a  proper  channel;  and 
no  one  will  affirm  that  love,  even  in  excess,  when 
directed  to  the  happiness  of  one's  husband  or  wife,  is 
a  moral  fault,  particularly  as  it  is  in  this  case  tem- 
pered by  good  sense  and  wisdom.  The  energy  to 
direct  one's  goings  in  the  right  paths  is  present,  and 
thus  we  may  make  our  very  faults  subservient  by 
the  application  of  a  strong  sense  of  right  Self- 
estraint,  or  force  turned  into  a  good  channel,  are 
equally  good.  The  stream  may  pass  its  low  banks, 
and  overwhelm  a  village,  but  if  confined  within 
proper  bounds  it  will  turn  a  mill,  and  conduce  to 
the  happiness  of  the  population. 

There  are,  however,  circumstances  connected  with 
this  unfortunate  "  Girdle,"  to  which,  in  such  a  work 
as  this,  we  must  be  severely  silent 


FIG.  18. — A  FORTUNATE  HAND. 

a.  Double  line  of  life.  b.  Perfect  happiness,  c.  Enjoyment 
of  true  love.  d.  Happy  marriage,  e.  Girdle  of  Venus.  /. 
Talents,  g.  Art  successes  (renown),  h.  Perspicacity — fortune 
and  love.  *'.  Good  temperament.  /.  Long  life.  k.  Love  for 
one  only. 


K  2 


The  Reading  of  the  Hands*  133 


CHAPTER  DC 

ON  THE  READING  OF  THE  HANDS. — THE  DIFFERENCE 
BETWEEN  THE   RIGHT  AND   LEFT. 

IN  the  foregoing  pages  we  have  briefly,  and  in  no 
scientific  manner,  described  the  various  mounts  and 
lines  of  the  hands  and  their  significance,  the  qualities 
which  may  be  expected  to  be  found  in  consequence 
of  their  presence.  They  are  the  testimony  of  our 
lives ;  the  Book  from  which  we  may  be  eventually 
convicted,  unless  we  eradicate  the  writing  by  a  change 
of  existence. 

We  have  now,  in  a  short  chapter,  to  indicate  the 
various  marks  which  will,  under  certain  circumstances, 
be  found  upon  the  hand.  But  we  will  do  so  circum- 
spectly. No  one  will  be  any  the  wiser  or  the  worse 
for  our  description,  though  we  could  warn  many  a 
one,  were  this  volume  not  written  for  popular  and 
indiscriminate  circulation.  It  may  happen  that  a 
more  scientific  treatise  will  be  published,  and  then 
those  who  fear  will  have  their  fears  ^ther  removed 
or  confirmed.  Little  do  we  guess  how  our  acts  are 
almost  indelibly  graven  upon  our  palms.  We  may 
forget  ourselves,  but  the  writing  of  Nature  is  never 
wrong  in  our  hands,  and  "  the  trail  of  the  serpent  is 
over  them  alL" 

Let  none,  therefore,  deceive  themselves,  be  they 
whom  they  may ;  the  imprint  of  virtue  or  vice  is  as 
plainly  to  be  read  by  the  Chiromant  as  this  print. 


134  Chiromancy. 

Some  very  painful  instances  have  recently  come  undef 
our  notice ;  and  while  uttering,  in  these  pages,  many  a 
warning,  we  would,  at  the  same  time,  advise  anyone  not 
to  be  nervous  or  startled.  The  marks  and  lines  will 
fade  in  the  good  time  coming,  and,  as  repentance  may 
be  gained,  so  the  mark  of  the  pitch  we  have  touched, 
and  which  has  defiled  us,  may  be  removed. 

The  whole  art  of  Palmistry  is  exceedingly  simple 
in  theory.  Practice  is  a  different  thing ;  but  in  a  few 
sentences  we  can  explain  the  raison  d'etre  of  the 
plan,  which  has  probably  already  been,  in  a  measure, 
anticipated  by  those  who  have  followed  us  so  far 
through  the  volume.  It  is  simply  an  observance  of 
the  length  and  formations  of  lines.  We  shall  soon 
devote  a  chapter  to  this  subject  But  we  can  now 
see  how,  when  a  line  of  Life  is  short,  life  is  short ; 
when  the  line  is  long,  life  is  also  likely  to  be  long. 
When  the  line  is  formed  in  a  chain,  existence  is 
painful  and  weary.  If  the  line  of  Life  be  pale  and 
broken,  we  may  expect  broken  health,  perhaps  break- 
ing spirits,  as  we  pass  through  the  world. 

These  indications,  which  every  one  can  understand, 
are  the  bases  of  the  Mysteries  of  the  Hand.  They 
are  simple  enough  for  a  child  to  rea/J,  but  the  appli- 
cation of  them  is  the  difficult  problem;  and,  as  in  a 
landscape,  we  must  have  all  the  objects  in  proportion 
and  our  surroundings  carefully  considered  before  we 
make  our  picture.  So  in  hand-reading  we  must 
attend  to  something  besides  the  principal  figures. 

Nature  gives  nothing,  unless  we  take  the  trouble 
to  seek  and  inquire  for  what  we  want.  It  is  thus  all 
through  life.  We  must  dig  for  coal  and  iron;  we 
must  search  diligently  for  the  gold.  We  must  labour 


The  Reading  of  the  Hands.  135 

in  the  sweat  of  our  brow  for  (literally)  our  daily 
bread.  Nature  hides  her  secrets  as  the  fond  mother 
hides  her  child's  playthings ;  she  tells  us  where  to 
look,  but  we  must  look  and  search,  and  probe  and 
learn  diligently  before  we  can  use  the  information. 
So  in  the  readings  of  the  hand. 

Now,  there  are  hundreds  of  honest  and  sensible 
people  who  deride  or  good-naturedly  "  pooh-pooh  " 
the  Science  of  Chiromancy,  because — and  this  is  the 
only  reason  they  can  give — "  it  is  quite  impossible  to 
read  such  lines."  We  have — albeit  we  are  not 
deeply  read  philosophers — we  have  read  secrets  in 
the  hands  of  men  and  women  which  the  individuals 
— people  we  had  never  met  before,  of  whose  very 
existence  we  were  ignorant  until  we  were  introduced 
— confessed  were  true,  and  known  only  to  them- 
selves. We  could  multiply  instances  of  this  kind, 
but  one  will  suffice. 

A  young  lady,  a  few  weeks  ago,  hearing  our 
name  mentioned,  at  a  country  house  where  we 
were  staying,  came  up  merrily,  and,  holding  out  her 
hand,  said — "  Can  you  tell  me  anything  ? "  She 
was  a  perfect  stranger  to  us  until  we  sat  down  to 
luncheon.  We  looked  at  her  hand,  and  said,  "  I 
see  you  were  engaged  to  be  married,  but  your 
pride  interfered,  you  dissolved  the  engagement  a 
year  or  two  ago,  and  your  health  suffered  in  con- 
sequence." She  at  once  withdrew  her  hand,  say- 
ing, with  a  vivid  blush,  "  Quit^  right ;  and  I  have 
suffered;  no  one  but  my  sister  ever  knew  the  real 
cause.  You  have  told  the  truth.  It  was  Pride  ! " 

Here,  then,  is  an  instance — a  very  simple  case,  yet 
it  will  serve  as  an  illustration.  There  is  no  impossi- 


136  Chiromancy. 

bility  in  the  science.  The  enemies  of  Columbui 
told  him  it  was  impossible  to  make  an  egg  stand 
upright ;  but  he  did  make  it  stand  up  on  end,  and  then 
they  saw  how  easy  it  was  to  do  it.  Before  Stephen- 
son  made  the  "  Rocket,"  and  even  afterwards,  rail- 
ways were  derided  or  feared.  What  should  we  be 
without  them  ?  So  with  electricity.  Newton  made 
the  greatest  discovery  ever  made  by  seeing  an  apple 
fall.  We  only  claim  a  fair  field  for  Chiromancy. 

But  we  must  remember  that  it  by  no  means  follows 
that  because  a  person  has  a  certain  vein  or  line  upon 
his  hand  that  he  or  she  is  evil-disposed,  or  likely  to 
reach  great  honour.  All  we  contend  for  is  a  careful 
examination  of  both  hands,  and  if  we  can  have  our 
patient  behind  a  curtain,  and  the  hands  only  visible, 
we  prefer  it.  For  then  we  have  no  fear  of  speaking, 
and  are  not  led  away  by  any  facial  expression  to  doubt 
the  plain  evidence  of  the  hand. 

In  examining  the  palms,  we  must  recollect  that 
the  right  hand  is  usually  the  more  active,  and  the 
initiative  comes  first  from  the  right  hand;  the  left 
will  always  come  to  its  assistance,  however,  still  it  is 
practically  the  passive  hand.  So  we  seek  the  more 
passive  signs  upon  the  left  hand,  and  active  tenden- 
cies upon  the  right.  The  indications  of  thought,  as 
opposed  to  action,  are  found  upon  the  left  hand. 

So  if  the  latter  present  signs  of  greater  regularity, 
we  may  fairly  conclude  that  the  individual  is  of  a 
more  passive  than  active  temperament — a  man  of 
thought  more  than  of  action ;  a  student  rather  than 
a  player  of  games.  Thus  the  success  of  such  an  one 
will  depend  more  upon  what  he  will  direct  to  be  done 
than  upon  what  he  will  do  himself.  He  will  conceive 


The  Reading  of  the  Hands.  137 

the  plan,  and  the  execution  of  it  should  be  entrusted 
to  a  "  right  "  man. 

Those  who  possess  the  most  correct  and  regular 
signs  in  the  right  hand  should  never  wait  for 
Fortune  to  come  to  them.  Their  only  real  chance 
of  success  lies  in  their  rising  up  and  doing — "  with  a 
eart  for  any  fate."  They  must  labour  and  put  their 
shoulders  to  the  wheel  manfully.  They  must  win 
Fortune,  or  Miss-Fortune  will  ensnare  them.  On 
the  other  hand,  we  shall  find  that  those  who  have  the 
clearer  indentions  upon  the  left  will  succeed,  so  to 
speak,  of  themselves,  almost  in  spite  of  their  passive- 
ness.  They  will  only  need  "to  wait"  and  not  "to 
labour,"  particularly  if  the  line  of  Fate  (or  Chance) 
be  distinctly  and  very  clearly  marked. 

These  latter  are  the  fortunate  individuals  who 
have  fortunes  dropping  into  their  laps ;  who  having 
possessions,  have  numerous  presents  given  to  them ; 
who  remain  quiet  and  restful,  if  thoughtful  and  of 
indicative  mind  and  mood ;  who  tell  others  there 
are  burthens  heavy  to  be  borne,  but  will  not  touch 
them  with  one  of  their  fingers.  They  work  with  their 
brain  like  the  Moltkes  and  the  Bismarcks ;  the 
others  do  the  manual  portion  of  the  toil  like  the 
Stephensons  and  the  crowd  of  labourers  in  the  fields 
of  existence  who  receive  but  a  scant  reward,  and 
then  only  after  hard  labour  and  toil  Look,  there- 
fore, to  thy  hands,  oh  !  reader;  to  which  section  01 
the  community  dost  thou  belong? 


138  Chiromancy. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  QUADRANGLE — ADVICE  TO  THOSE  "ABOUT  TO 
MARRY" — THE  GRAND  TRIANGLE, 

BEFORE  speaking  of  the  little  signs  which  so  materi- 
ally affect  the  lines  and  mounds,  and,  as  it  were, 
turn  bitter  to  sweet  and  sweet  to  bitter,  we  will  con- 
sider the  positions  and  significations  of  the  figures 
upon  the  hands  as  above-mentioned.  The  first  is 
the  QUADRANGLE. 

The  Quadrangle  is  that  portion  of  the  human 
hand  comprised  between  the  line  of  the  Head  and 
the  line  of  the  Heart,  and  between  the  line  of  Fate 
and  the  line  of  Apollo.  It  is  sometimes  called  the 
table  of  the  Hand,  and  its  form  will  depend,  of 
course,  upon  the  good — or  ill-placement  of  the  two 
lines  aforesaid.  The  boundaries  of  this  figure  are 
the  lines  above  and  below,  and  on  either  side  of  it. 
Its  formation  will  be  perceived  at  a  glance. 

If  the  Quadrangle  be  regular  in  its  development, 
wide  in  the  centre,  larger  by  the  mound  ol 
Jupiter,  and  wide  on  the  "  percussion  "  of  the  hand, 
it  denotes  a  good  and  straightforward  person,  an 
honest  and  devoted  man  or  woman,  good  constitu- 
tion, and  good  character. 

But  if,  on  the  contrary,  the  two  lines,  viz.,  the  line 
of  the  Heart  and  the  Line  of  the  Head  are  not  well 
placed,  or  if  the  former  line  descend  towards  the 
other,  or  the  latter  arise  to  meet  the  other,  it  indi- 


The  Quadrangle.  139 

cates  want  of  decision,  timidity,  nervousness,  and 
generally  want  of  spontaneity — a  retiring  character. 
It  may  be  modified  thus  : — 

Firstly,  if  the  line  of  the  Heart  descends  far  to 
the  line  of  the  Head.  In  that  case  it  may  be 
accepted  that  the  individual  is  rather  egotistical,  and 
has  by  looking  after  his  own  interests  dwarfed  his 
character — or  will  so  dwarf  it 

Secondly,  if  the  line  of  the  Head  ascend  near 
the  line  of  the  Heart,  the  character  may  be  pro- 
nounced good  and  generous  in  the  main,  fundamen- 
tally ;  but  it  will  be  timid  and  shy,  nevertheless,  and 
sometimes  maladroit  in  its  manifestations  of  grati- 
tude, &c.  Such  an  individual  will  be  always  hoping 
to  do  some  really  great  thing;  to  do  good  and  to 
benefit  his  fellow- creatures.  He  wishes  to  be 
generous,  perhaps,  but  permits  the  opportunity  to 
slide  past  him.  He  has  no  time  !  So,  by  reason  of 
this  want  of  talent  to  seize  opportunity,  to  "  take 
time  by  the  forelock,"  he  will  always  be  more  or  less 
dwarfed  in  his  actions  by  indecision. 

Numerous  small  lines  or  signs  will  frequently  be 
found  in  the  Quadrangle  of  an  irregular  and  uneven 
form.  A  number  of  lines  is  a  weakness,  decidedly. 
A  cross  is  a  disposition  to  mysticism,  if  it  appear 
under  the  finger  of  Saturn.  Superstition  is  also  thus 
indicated. 

A  badly-formed  cross  in  the  Quadrangle  is  a  mis- 
fortune; it  may  even  mean  misfortune  by  wordly 
elevation.  A  well-made  star  in  the  space  tells  us  of 
a  good  man — an  honest,  well-meaning  man — who  will 
nevertheless  be  henpecked  as  a  husband,  and  per- 
haps the  pl&ything  of  woman  if  he  love  her,  and  so 


140  Chiromancy. 

by  her  dominant  influence  his  naturally  good  qualitiaa 
are  perverted. 

[It  is  traditionally  stated  that  such  a  man  will  be 
very  likely  to  restore  his  broken  fortunes  by  hard 
work.] 

A  cross  in  the  Quadrangle  near  the  mount  of 
Mars  and  tending  towards  the  mount  of  the  Moon 
is  (also  traditionally)  indicative  of  travel,  which,  if 
undertaken,  will  lead  to  fortune. 

If  the  Quadrangle  be  entirely  wanting  in  the 
hand  this  is  a  bad  sign,  an  indication  of  evil  and 
wickedness. 

Thus,  by  the  inspection  of  the  hand  any  one  may 
determine  for  himself,  or  herself,  the  character  of  the 
individual  Any  man  who  is  desirous  of  entering 
into  connubial  relations  with  any  woman,  may,  by 
attention  to  the  foregoing  rules,  obtain  an  insight 
into  his  beloved  one's  character.  Similarly,  a 
woman  may  be  informed  concerning  her  fiance ; 
and,  while  fondly  clasping  each  other's  hands,  both 
lovers  may  all  the  while  be  intent  upon  each  other's 
private  and  hitherto  hidden  characteristics,  and  their 
chances  of  success  in  life  ! 

A  fond  father  may  "demand  the  hand"  of  the 
suitor  for  his  daughter's;  and  therein  discover  his 
disposition  and  tendencies,  and  his  girl's  chances  of 
happiness  in  married  life. 

The  young  man  may  judge  of  the  temperament  of 
his  intended  spouse,  and  even  of  the  liberality  and 
designs  of  his  expected  parents-in-law.  Every  man's 
hand  may  be  against  him,  and  his  own  hand  may 
be  against  himself!  We  cannot  always  tell  fos 
certain,  however;  the  yielding  one  may  by  circunv 


The  Grand  Triangle.  141 

stances  become  as  hard  as  "  spongy  iron,"  awd  yet 
permit  the  dropping  of  good-nature  to  exude  from 
his  heart's  pores.  The  "  cross  "  in  the  hand  may 
only  be  ths  beginning  of  the  lucky  "  star,"  and  for- 
tune may  by  industry  be  achieved ! 

So  let  us  not  play  the  part  of  Puck,  and  separate 
happy  lovers  by  our  whispers.  If  there  be  discus- 
sions (not  dissensions)  of  the  lines  of  Head  and 
Heart  in  honest  lovers'  hands,  let  them  clasp  them 
tighter  and  decide  manfully  by  patience,  pluck,  and 
determination  to  vanquish  Fate  together ;  to  combat 
the  portents,  to  avoid  the  evil,  and  decide  at  once, 
as  a  first  step  towards  the  cure  of  irresolution,  to 
get  married,  and  do  their  duty  in  the  state  of  life  to 
which  they  may  in  all  honesty  be  called.  So  shall 
they  find  happiness  instead  of  misery  and  separatioa 
Expcrientia  docct. 


THE  GRAND  TRIANGLE. 

This  form  will  be  found  described  in  the  hand 
between  the  line  of  the  Head,  the  line  of  Life,  and 
the  Hepatic  or  Liver  line,  supposing  it  to  exist.  In 
examining  the  boundaries  of  the  Grand  Triangle  we 
must  be  guided  by  the  direction,  form  and  colour  of 
the  lines  surrounding  it,  just  as  we  considered  these 
points  in  our  consideration  of  the  Quadrangle.  The 
evenness,  therefore,  of  the  Grand  Triangle  is  a  good 
sign :  the  irregularity  a  less  good  one. 

When  we  find  the  Triangle  regular,  we  can  tell  the 
blood  is  good  and  pure,  the  constitution  good  in 
consequence ;  and,  in  fact,  unless  the  head  and  the 


142  Chiromancy. 

stomach  are  all  interdependent  and  yet  in  excellenl 
condition,  health,  mental  vigour,  kindness  and 
spirit,  cannot  be  combined  and  nicely  balanced  in 
such  a  life  or  hand. 

But  if  any  of  these  lines  be  wanting,  or  if  present 
irregular,  intermittent  or  misshapen,  then  the  indi- 
vidual is  wanting  in  the  characteristics  connected 
with  the  line  in  which  he  is  deficient.  Life,  intelli- 
gence, health,  may  each  and  all  be  fitful  and  weak, 
and  even  if  the  man  be  quite  sound  upon  two,  he 
may  be  unsound  in  the  third,  or  weak  in  all 

So  will  his  life  be  worried,  crossed,  and  troubled ; 
so  will  it,  perhaps,  be  a  burthen  hardly  to  be  borne. 
The  same  indication,  as  already  commented  upon  in 
the  consideration  of  the  Quadrangle,  will  find  place 
in  the  Triangle.  Troubles  will  rise,  and  mark  them- 
selves in  little  lines  upon  men's  palms.  The  worries 
of  his  head  and  in  his  life  will  reproduce  themselves 
as  indentations  upon  his  hands.  As  the  Indian 
carries  his  scalps;  as  the  trapper  notches  his  rifle- 
stock  as  a  record  of  the  number  of  his  slain  victims, 
human  or  quadruped;  as  the  schoolboy  nicks  his 
"  runs "  upon  his  bat,  called  affectionately  "  Jehu," 
because  it  "driveth  furiously;"  so  will  our  life- 
troubles  be  impressed  and  cut  upon  our  palms,  to 
remind  us  in  our  prosperity  that  we  have  seen  and 
overcome  the  worries  of  existence.  We  have  passed 
through  the  rapids,  and  are  in  the  smooth  gently- 
flov  ing  stream  once  for  all 

The  inspection  of  the  Grand  Triangle  may  be  use- 
fully made,  when  selecting  a  person  for  any  particular 
situation  which  demands  coolness,  and  certain  bodily 
qualities.  The  head  and  life  must  with  digestion  be 


The  Little  Triangle.  143 

in  good  order,  and  where  a  medical  examination  be 
not  possible,  the  condition  of  man  for  action  or 
command  may  be  estimated  with  absolute  certainty 
by  the  Grand  Triangle. 

By  the  Quadrangle,  the  moral  and  social  attributes 
are  distinguished.  By  the  Grand  Triangle  we  can 
recognize  vital  and  intellectual  power,  and  estimate 
the  duties  for  which  by  our  condition  we  are  most  fitted 
and  most  likely  to  perform  to  the  satisfaction  of  our 
employers,  our  superiors,  and  ourselves. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE  LITTLE  TRIANGLE — THE  ANGLES, 

THIS  is  not  always  present.  It  is  dependent  on 
the  existence  of  the  Liver  line  and  the  line  of 
"  Chance,"  for  it  is  enclosed  between  those  lines 
and  the  line  of  the  Head.  The  line  of  Chance  or 
Saturn  ascends  through  the  centre  of  the  hand, 
bisecting  the  Grand  Triangle.  The  Little  Triangle 
is,  therefore,  one-half  (more  or  less)  of  its  greater 
namesake.  When  we  have  considered  this  Triangle 
we  will  speak  separately  of  the  Angles  made  in  the 
hand.  The  Little  Triangle  should  be  regular  both  in 
the  direction  and  length  of  its  lines.  If  it  be  so, 
and — 


144  Chiromancy. 

(i.)  If  the  liver  line  quit  the  root  of  the  thumb 
to  unite  with  the  Head  line,  and  so  form  a  right 
angle  or  nearly,  well  formed, 

(2.)  If  the  line  of  Fate  ascend  the  centre  of  the 
hand  directly,  and  cut  the  line  of  the  Head  at  an 
acute  angle,  but  regularly, 

Then  the  individual  is  possessed  of  much  inteV 
lectual  strength  and  power,  and  his  efforts  towards 
success  will,  in  all  probability,  be  assisted  by  a  concur- 
rence of  good  luck  or  fortune. 

So  by  these  lines  in  the  Little  Triangle  we  can 
ascertain  probable  success  in  our  undertakings,  which 
depend  upon  brain  work  for  their  development. 
Here  again  we  may,  and  with  seriousness,  indicate  9 
way  by  which  parents  may  ascertain  the  natural  bent 
of  their  children's  minds  and  dispositions.  Many 
lives  have  been  rendered  unhappy  by  uncongenial 
surroundings ;  and  if  we  can  in  any  way  mitigate  the 
probabilities  of  such  very  real  unhappiness,  particu- 
larly to  young  men  and  boys,  we  will  endeavour  to 
do  so. 

If,  therefore,  children  have  the  Grand  Triangle 
formed  by  the  three  lines — the  lines  of  Life,  Head 
and  Liver,  throughout;  if  these  lines  are  regular, 
and  the  Little  Triangle,  at  the  same  time,  exist  in  the 
favourable  condition  just  mentioned,  such  boys  may 
fearlessly  be  launched  upon  the  sea  of  Study.  They 
will  succeed  in  it.  They  are  capable  of  much,  and 
will  accomplish  much. 

But  in  the  absence  of  these  indications  in  the 
absence  of  the  Grand  Triangle,  or  in  the  malforma- 
tion thereof,  such  children  will  not  succeed  in  intel- 
lectual occupations,  because  either  the  taste  for  suck 


The  Angles.  145 

is  not  inherent  in  them,  or  their  natural  tendency  to 
idleness  will  not  permit  them  to  apply  themselves 
with  sufficient  diligence.  The  presence  of  much 
imagination  will  frequently  militate  against  regular 
study,  and  be  a  bar  to  a  plodding  existence.  So  il 
the  line  of  Chance  be  wanting  in  the  Little  Triangle, 
even  if  the  Grand  Triangle  be  well-formed,  the  liberal 
professions  will  not  suit  the  lad  so  marked ;  but  if 
their  line  of  "  Chance "  be  wanting,  or  insufficient, 
their  success  may  be  imperilled  by  want  of  fore- 
thought 

The  Angles  which  are  perceptible  in  the  two 
Triangles  specified  in  this  and  preceding  chapter, 
claim  a  few  words.  The  Great  Triangle  encloses 
the  Plain  of  Mars,  and  has  been  divided  for  con- 
sideration into  three  sections  containing  the  angles, 
viz.: — 

(i.)  The  Upper  Angle. 

(2.)  The  Inner  Angle. 

(3.)  The  Lower  Angle. 

(i.)  The  first  is  that  formed  beneath  the  fore-finger 
by  the  union  of  the  line  of  the  Head  and  the  line 
oi  Life. 

When  this  angle  is  acute,  well  formed  and  "  clean 
cut,"  it  indicates  a  good  disposition,  and  frequently 
nobility  of  disposition.  If  obtuse  it  marks  a  some- 
what dull  intelligence. 

If  the  angle  commence  beneath  the  finger  of 
Saturn,  his  influence  will  interfere  with  the  existence, 
and  Saturn  is  always  a  bad  companion.  In  this  case, 
he  pre-supposes  avarice;  or,  as  old  writers  assert, 
captivity. 

1 


146  Chiromancy. 

.Again,  when  the  line  of  Life  unites  with  the  line 
of  the  Head,  lower  down  still,  on  the  top  of  the 
Plain  of  Mars,  it  -indicates  an  unhappy  life  and 
miserly  qualities. 

(2.)  The  Inner  angle  made  by  the  meeting  of  the 
Liver  line  and  the  end  of  the  line  of  the  Head 
towards  the  Mount  of  the  Moon  and  the  base  of 
the  Mount  of  Mars,  if  well  traced,  and  of  good 
colour,  promises  long  life. 

If  very  acute,  it  premises  a  nervous  temperament, 
and  evil  associations.  If  obtuse,  we  have  obtusenesi 
and  inconstancy. 

(3.)  The  Lower  Angle  is  formed  by  the  junction  of 
the  line  of  Life  and  the  line  of  the  Liver. 

If  this  angle  be  well-formed  and  coloured,  it  means 
that  our  health  and  our  heart  are  good. 

But  when  very  acute  it  may  presage  or  bear  wit- 
ness to  debility,  or  a  desire  for  money. 

If  it  is  thick,  and  formed  of  indistinct  lines,  it  in- 
dicates a  bad  disposition;  rudeness;  even  idleness, 
or  inaction  generally. 

These  are  the  three  angles,  which  should  be  com- 
pared with  the  lines  of  the  Triangle.  We  cannot  too 
often  repeat  our  injunction  to  the  reader  to  bear  all 
the  points  bearing  upon  the  case  in  his  mind  when  he 
desires  to  make  a  forecast,  or  pronounces  upon  a 
hand  submitted  to  him.  Only  in  this  way  will  his 
verdict  be  correct ;  and  he  should  be  cautious,  even 
if  he  fancy  he  is  quite  right  There  is  no  "  royal 
road  "  to  Chiromancy,  any  more  than  there  is  to  any 
other  science  or  study 


Signs  which  Modify  Eftects  of  Mounts.     147 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ON   SIGNS  WHICH   MODIFY  THE  PREDICTED  EFFECT! 
OF  THE  MOUNTS  AND   LINES. 

IN  the  previous  portion  of  this  book  we  have 
spoken  of  stars,  crosses,  and,  perhaps,  islands.  We 
must,  before  concluding  our  summary,  say  something 
about  these. 

The  Star  (  *  )  on  the  hand  predicts  something  to 
come,  or  which  has  occurred  beyond  our  own  control, 
and  almost  invariably  indicates  danger.  It  is  the 
Red  light  of  Chiromancy ;  and  even  if  it  be  turned  to 
our  worldly  advantage,  it  will  bring  in  its  train  some 
fatality,  such  as  the  troubles  and  anxiety  allied  to 
riches,  or  the  worries  inseparable  from  literary  or 
business  excess. 

The  Star  may  appear  on  any  part  of  the  hand 
On  Jupiter  it  means  the  gaining  of  our  love  or  ambi- 
tion. A  good  "  fatality  "  for  Jupiter,  we  may  accept 
as  favourable  to  our  interests.  On  the  first  finger- 
joints,  great  power  and  glory  as  a  commander  or 
statesman ;  particularly  on  Saturn's  (the  middle)  finger. 
Under  Saturn  it  is  a  fatal  sign.  On  the  Mount  of 
Saturn  it  means  assassination  or  execution,  according 
to  the  interpretation  of  the  lines,  &c.  Two  Stars  on 
the  third  phalange  of  the  middle  finger  indicate  a 
shameful  death,  and  may  be  in  consequence  of  a 
career  of  vice. 

The  s*ar  again  upon  the  Mount  of  the  Sun  mean* 

x.  t 


148  Chiromancy. 

riches  (unhappy  in  their  arrival) ;  or  it  may  be  renown 
by  chance,  and  unlasting.  A  line  and  a  star  indicate 
celebrity,  in  consequence  of  talent,  which  has  been 
forced  upon  one.  A  number  of  lines  and  a  star 
mean  wealth. 

A  Star  situated  upon  the  Mount  of  Venus  at  the 
base  is  evil  or  unhappiness  from  the  opposite  sex. 

A  star  upon  the  Mount  of  Mercury  is  a  sign  of  dis- 
honour. Upon  Mars  it  is  death  in  battle  or  conflict 
If  upon  the  Mount  of  the  Moon  it  is  hypocrisy  and 
dissimulation.  But  it  also  indicates  misfortune,  oc- 
curring through  the  excess  of  imagination  (perhaps 
trustfulness),  and  most  likely  drowning,  for  the  Moon 
is  the  ruler  of  the  sea. 

The  square  ( a )  is  an  indication  of  force  or  energy 
wherever  it  be  may  found.  It  gives  coolness  in 
danger,  good  sense,  and  the  power  of  "taking  in 
things  at  a  glance,"  as  the  phrase  is.  This  sign  upon 
Venus,  is,  however,  unfortunate,  and  means  a  con- 
vent, cell,  or  durance  vile;  and  is  near  the  line  of 
Life. 

A  circle  (O)  is  an  indication  of  glory,  as  the 
M  halo  "  behind  the  head  of  saints  in  old  pictures  is 
supposed  to  represent  holiness.  If  this  glory  mark 
be  found  upon  the  Mount  of  the  Sun,  it  is  an  excel- 
lent sign ;  in  any  of  the  lines  it  is  a  bad  one. 
According  to  ancient  Chiromants,  if  on  the  line  of 
Life  or  on  the  Mount  of  the  Moon,  it  foretells  the 
loss  of  an  eye,  or,  if  double,  of  both  eyes. 

A  point  (•),  like  an  exaggerated  "full-stop," 
is  a  wound,  or  madness  when  on  the  line  of  the 
Head.  A  white  point  upon  the  line  of  the  Heart  is 
an  indication  of  conquest  in  the  lists  of  love ;  and 


Signs  which  Modify  Effects  of  Mount*.     149 

may  mean,  if  in  the  Head  line,  scientific  discovery 
(tradition). 

An  isle,  or  break  in  a  line,  as  where  a  stream 
separates  into  two  branches,  which  unite  again,  is 
generally  a  bad  sign,  and  often  means  hereditary 
maladies.  On  the  Head  line  it  may  mean  assassina 
lion  or  murderous  projects ;  on  the  line  of  the  Heart, 
illicit  love ;  on  the  line  of  the  Liver,  going  towards 
Mercury,  robbery,  or,  what  is  much  the  same,  bad 
faith  in  business,  or  fraudulent  bankruptcy.  On  the 
line  of  Life  it  indicates  a  mystery  of  birth.  On  the 
line  of  Saturn  it  has  a  curious  signification,  and  yet 
implies  happiness  by  any  dishonourable  means,  which 
need  not  be  explained. 

The  Triangle  (&)  tells  of  aptitude  for  science, 
and  M.  Desbarrolles  gives  us  types  and  examples  of 
this.  He  says : — 

On  the  Mount  of  Mercury  the  triangle  means  skil- 
fulness  in  politics  (as  in  Talleyrand). 

On  the  Mount  of  Jupiter,  diplomacy  and  power 
greatly  developed  (as  in  Napoleon  I.). 

On  the  Mount  of  Saturn,  the  dark  sciences, 
magic,  &c.,  based  upon  fear  of  eternal  punishment 
(Necromancus). 

On  the  Mount  of  the  Sun,  science  in  art  (ex.  gt. 
Michael  Angel o,  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  &c.). 

On  the  Mount  of  Mars,  skilful,  military  combina- 
tions (Turenne). 

On  the  Mount  of  the  Moon,  reasoning,  mystic  in- 
telligence (Paracelsus). 

On  the  Mount  of  Venus,  calculation  in  love  (Ma- 
dame de  Maintenon). 

The  Cross  (X)  is  usually  an  unfavourable  sign,  but 


150  Chiromancy. 

upon  the  Mount  of  Jupiter  it  signifies  a  happy  mar- 
riage ;  in  all  cases  this  is  true.  In  the  Grand  Triangle 
it  means  religion  and  superstition,  and,  if  united  with 
the  Saturnian  line,  some  good  in  consequence  of  re- 
ligion. 

The  Cross  on  Saturn  is  the  bad  influence  of  the 
planet  On  the  Mount  of  the  Sun,  the  Cross  signi- 
fies effort  checked  in  art,  &c.,  because  the  Sun  is 
deflected,  and  things  get  into  a  wrong  light  in  con- 
consequence. 

A  Cross  on  Mercury  is  kleptomania  (to  use  no 
harsher  term). 

A  Cross  on  Mars  indicates  a  tendency  to  strife,  and, 
perhaps,  homicide. 

A  Cross  on  the  plain  of  Mars,  between  the  Mount 
of  Venus  and  the  Mount  of  the  Moon,  means  a 
struggle  in  life  of  importance,  and  a  change  of  posi- 
tion, perhaps  occupation. 

A  Cross  upon  the  Mount  of  the  Moon  indicates  a 
liar,  who  will  even  use  self-deception,  and  he  is  not 
a  good  character  who  possesses  it,  if  the  lines  do  not 
absolve  him. 

A  Cross  upon  the  Mount  of  Venus  is  unselfish 
(single)  and  fatal  love,  unless  another  be  found  upon 
Jupiter's  hill,  when  it  tells  of  happy  marriage  and 
undivided  affection. 

A  -well-made  Cross  is  to  be  accepted  as  a  good 
omen,  when  all  its  limbs  are  of  equal  length.  A 
badly-made  Cross  is  a  bad  sign ;  the  former  adds  to 
the  influence  of  its  Mount 

tranches  extending  from  any  line  are  signs  of 
strength  and  energy  upon  such  lines.  Those  oc- 
curring at  the  end  of  a  line  are  only  favourable  when 


Signs  which  Modify  Effects  of  Mounts.     151 

they  ascend.  They  partake  of  the  qualities  of  their 
trunks,  and  upon  the  line  of  Saturn  are  promises 
of  extreme  happiness.  On  the  lines  of  Heart,  Life, 
and  Head,  they  signify  exuberance  of  love,  vigour, 
and  health,  and  of  intelligence  respectively. 

Chan: like  formations  of  the  lines  are  obstacles  or 
entanglements.  On  the  line  of  the  Heart, "  flirtations.* 

Broken  or  disconnected  waving  lines  are  signs  of 
ill-luck ;  and  madness  or  weakness  of  brain  when  on 
the  line  of  the  Head. 

Parallel  lines,  called  "  Capillary  "  lines,  which,  after 
a  time  unite  to  make  one  single  line,  are  a  weakness, 
and  indicate  an  ill-future  in  a  bodily  sense.  But 
when  there  are  a  great  many  of  these  little  lines  upon  a 
mount,  there  is  a  tendency  to  embarrassment,  and 
they  interfere  with  each  other,  rendering  the  result 
more  or  less  futile. 

People  who  have  many  rays  upon  the  mount  of 
the  Moon  are  subject  to  presentiments  and  such  ima- 
ginary suggestions.  They  are  of  the  ghost-seeing 
class ;  for  the  astral  fluid  in  them  has  a  superabund- 
ance; and,  being  in  the  region  of  imagination,  they 
fancy  they  see  images,  and  have  forebodings,  which 
arise  merely  from  their  own  imaginings.  To  such 
people  we  would  say — 

**  .  .  .  Be  ne'er  by  forebodings  deterred ; 
But  think  how  oft  lives  have  been  blighted 
By  fears  of  what  never  occurred  I" 

Grating-marks,  a  kind  of  beatified  gridiron  upon 
the  hand,  are  also  considered  as  unfortunate,  and  they 
have  special  significance.  They  are  supposed  to  be 
faults  upon  the  mounts  en  which  they  occur,  and 


152 


Chiromancy. 


generate  exaggerated  qualities,  or  qualify  benefits, 
according  to  the  hills  which  they  adorn  (or  disfigure). 
We  need  not  recapitulate  these  tendencies  ;  the  bars 
suppose  an  absorption  of  the  generous  fluids,  and 
preserve  them  in  the  material  world  of  the  hand. 

Cross  rays  on  the  mounts  are  also  obstacles.  They 
interfere  with  the  direct  benefits  which  would  accrue 
from  a  direct  line  alone  in  the  same  way,  as  small 


FIG.   19. 


frnes  of  a  downward  tendency  are  hostile  to  the  main 
lines  whence  they  fall. 

Lines  proceeding  upwards  are  good,  and  intensify 
the  benefits  already  arising  from  the  line  or  mount 
on  which  it  rises.  For  instance,  Mercury  unadorned 
is  a  sign  of  commercial  intelligence.  With  one 
line  it  shows  a  "  chance  "  in  fortune ;  if  very  much 
"  rayed,"  it  becomes  robbery,  the  "  chance "  being 
guided  by  an  ill-will  to  do  evil. 

Thus,  well-placed  mounts  are  good. 


Signs  which  Modify  Effects  of  Mounts.     153 

With  one  line  they  mean  success. 

With  two  lines,  unhappiness,  or  eviL 

Three  lines,  at  equal  distances,  great  glory,  success, 
or  happiness. 

Tortuous  lines,  unhappiness  and  misfortune. 

A  number  ot  lines,  a  "  choking "  of  the  quality  in 
4uestion. 

These  are  the  chief  indications  which  the  signs, 
marks,  and  formations  of  and  on  the  Lines  and 
Mounts,  as  considered  apart  from  the  Lines  and 
Mounts  themselves,  give  us,  and,  even  if  they  are 
found  upon  the  hand  of  a  child,  they  do  not 
necessarily  indicate  evil  fortune.  The  unhappy 
presage  may  be  averted  The  islands  particularly 
are  warnings  that  the  ill  will  most  likely  come  to 
the  individual,  but  it  need  not  be  yielded  to  and 
welcomed.  By  these  warnings  we  can  avert  trouble, 
and,  by  taking  due  precaution,  neutralize  it  even  if 
it  arrive. 


154  Chiromancy, 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A  FEW   HINTS  UPON   "READING  THE   HAND." 
CONCLUSION. 

THERE  are  several  things  to  be  kept  in  mind  while 
the  Chiromant  is  examining  a  hand.  He  must,  to  a 
certain  extent,  recognize  the  character  and  constitu- 
tion of  his  " subject;"  he  must  be  able  to  distinguish 
his  capacity  for  business;  the  general  condition  of 
his  health,  and  to  inform  him  whether  he  is  idle 
or  industrious ;  cold  or  warm  temperament ;  luxurious 
or  envious ;  liberal  or  miserly ;  engaged,  in  love,  or 
married ;  whether  hot-tempered  or  good-natured  j 
with  many  other  traits,  all  of  which  will  be  read 
from  the  hand  submitted,  if  the  student  has  studied 
this  work.  To  do  this  some  few  instructions  are 
necessary,  and  the  beginner  must  be  exceedingly  care- 
ful, for  slips  are  very  easy  to  make,  and  no  one  likes 
to  be  accused  of  faults,  particularly  when  they  are  un- 
conscious of  cherishing  them. 

First  catch  your  Hand. — Take  the  left  hand  in 
your  own  as  if  you  were  going  to  shake  hands,  and 
holding  it  loosely  thus  lying  in  yours  observe  its  pro- 
portions and  formations  by  the  light  of  Chirognomy. 
This  done,  turn  the  hand  over  in  yours  and 
inspect  the  palm,  slightly  compressing  the  sides  so 
as  to  accentuate  the  lines.  The  feel  of  the  hand  will 
at  once  tell  you  something.  Soft  hands  and  rough 
bands  tell  tales.  The  size  of  the  hands,  the  fingers, 


Hints  upon  "Reading  the  Hand"       155 

the  tops  of  the  fingers,  the  joints,  and,  lastly,  tht 
mounts  and  lines,  must  be  consulted  and  taken  in 
almost  at  a  glance.  Long  hesitation  will  never  do ; 
the  quicker  the  verdict  comes,  the  more  penetrating  is 
the  sentence,  and  the  higher  the  estimation  of  the 
ChiromanL 

(i.)  The  form  of  the  hand  is  very  important,  and 
here  Chirognomy  comes  to  our  assistance,  as  in 
Part  I.  The  points  of  the  hand  being  rapidly  re- 
viewed, we  shall  find  some  indication  as  to  character 
and  occupation,  tastes,  &c. 

(2.)  So  soon  as  the  type  of  hand  has  been  ascer- 
tained, both  hands  must  be  examined  to  see  in  which 
the  mounts,  &c.,  are  best  marked.  The  left  hand 
will  be  selected,  eventually,  for  line-reading,  but  we 
must  find  out  whether  the  individual  is  more  active 
or  passive,  as  already  explained  in  this  volume. 

(3.)  The  form  of  the  Quadrangle  will  then  be 
noted,  and  the  character  descried  by  it;  and  then 
the  Triangles  and  the  Angles  must  be  noted,  so  as  to 
ascertain  the  defects  or  powers  of  intelligence,  &c.t 
as  already  explained  in  Chapters  X.  and  XL 

(4.)  We  shall  then  have  arrived  at  a  very  impor- 
tant point.  We  shall  know  the  social  and  moral 
nature,  the  intelligence  and  capacity,  the  aptitude  for 
work,  the  health  and  usefulness  of  the  individual 
The  examination  of  the  mounts  at  the  bases  of  the 
fingers  will  confirm  our  impressions,  for  we  seldom 
find  many  contradictions  in  the  hands.  We  can  see 
modifying  traits,  but  never,  or  very,  very  seldom,  any 
contradiction,  per  se. 

(5.)  The  mounts  and  their  protuberances  or  flatness 
will  tell  us  much.  The  mount  of  Saturn,  for  example* 


156  Chiromancy. 

will  inform  us  whether  the  person  is  or  is  not  avari- 
cious, or  superstitious,  and  so  on.  We  need  not 
recapitulate  the  signs  here ;  the  chapters  preceding 
this  have  dealt  as  fully  as  possible  with  the  various 
indications,  and  the  reader  must  learn  the  signs  and 
the  confirmatory  evidences  for  himself. 

(6.)  The  principal  lines — those  of  the  Heart  and 
the  Head — should  terminate  in  a  fork,  if  they  be 
good  ;  poor  lines  end  abruptly.  The  mounts  should 
also  be  in  their  proper  places,  and  not  lean  over  to 
their  neighbours.  Then  we  proceed  to  examine  the 
lines  and  the  stars,  crosses,  chains,  and  triangles 
which  intersect,  interrupt,  check,  or  mark  them. 

(7.)  The  whole  palm  must  be  seen  and  considered. 
We  can  obtain  an  excellent  idea  of  character  from 
the  Quadrangle,  Triangles,  and  other  Angles,  remem- 
ber; and  although  the  reading  of  the  shape  of  the 
hand  and  fingers  is  very  important,  we  can  tell 
certain  past  events  from  a  mere  glance  at  the  palm 
of  the  hand. 

We  will  conclude  with  a  few  sentences  respecting 
the  three  worlds  whict  are  seen  and  recognized  in 
the  hand. 

These  are  the  divine  or  superior  qualities  of  the 
mind,  the  qualities  of  the  head,  or  natural  world,  and 
the  more  material  and  gross.  We  will  repeat  a  few 
indications  with  reference  to  the  foregoing  rules  for 
inspection  of  the  hand,  which  will  serve  as  examples. 

JUPITER  gives  us  pride  and  ambition,  &c. 
SATURN  gives  us   prudence,   superstition,  and 

sadness,  perhaps. 
APOLLO  gives  us  glory,  riches,  fame. 


flints  upon  u  Reading  the  Hand."       157 

MERCURY  is  scientific,  eloquent,  and  gives  us 
finesse  and  robbery. 

MARS  gives  us  courage,  poverty,  and  resignation. 

VENUS  gives  us  love,  passion,  charity,  and  fellow- 
feeling. 

The  MOON  principally  imagination. 

Let  us  apply  these  in  excess — 

JUPITER,  being  religious,  will,  you  imagine,  if  in 
excess,  be  very  good.  He  is  not  His  pos- 
sessor is  simply  proud. 

APOLLO  in  excess  is  fond  of  riches,  instead  of 
art,  and  he  will  tend  to  luxury  and  show. 

MERCURY  in  excelsis  is  simply  a  thief.  .  .  . 

And  so  on.  We  shall  find  excess  bad.  All  super- 
abundance is  a  blemish. 

But  we  must  read  "  with  the  fingers,"  as  do  the 
blind.  We  cannot  find  out  the  meaning  without  the 
fingers,  and  the  pointed,  the  spatulated,  the  square, 
all  qualify  the  mount. 

APOLLO  with  pointed  fingers,  wish  for  glory. 
APOLLO  with  spatulated  fingers,  desire  for  ricnes. 
APOLLO  with  square  fingers,  love  of  truth  in  art. 
JUPITER  with  pointed  fingers,  religion. 
JUPITER  with  spatulated  fingers,  command. 
JUPITER  with  square  fingers,  ambition. 

We  might  carry  these  on  to  the  other  fingers,  but 
we  have  said  enough  to  indicate  the  view  which  must 
be  taken  of  the  mounts  in  connection  with  certain 
indications  of  the  fingers.  The  lines,  again,  will  give 
us  plenty  of  occupation,  and  it  will  be  some  consider- 
able time,  and  not  until  earnest  application  has  been 
made,  that  the  horoscope  will  be  correctly  cast 


158  Chiromancy. 

fhere  are  a  great  many  things  concerning  Chiro- 
mancy which  are  not  written  in  this  book.  To  do 
the  subject  justice,  three  such  volumes  as  this 
would  not  be  too  many ;  there  are  so  many  interest- 
ing combinations,  so  many  scientific  facts,  so  many 
anecdotes  and  curious  confirmations  of  characters 
pronounced,  that  they  would,  if  written,  fill  a  large 
volume.  But  for  all  popular  and  amateur  purposes, 
the  Chiromant  will  find  the  foregoing  pages,  we  be- 
lieve, perfectly  trustworthy.  After  some  considerable 
personal  experience,  we  have  consulted  numerous 
writers,  ancient  and  modem,  male  and  female,  upon 
this  fascinating  science,  which  is  again  rapidly 
coming  into  favour.  The  results  of  our  joint  expe- 
riences and  reading  are  partly  embodied  in  this 
volume.  The  remainder  will  be  added  to  as  expe- 
rience may  decide. 

In  saying  farewell  to  our  public,  let  us  add  a  little 
advice  to  those  about  to  "  Chiromant "  their  friends. 
Be  cautious.  Never  make  guesses.  Be  perfectly  cer- 
tain, and  then  do  not  give  utterance  to  your  thoughts 
unless  you  feel  assured  of  their  reception.  We  have 
said  all  this  before,  you  will  retort.  Perhaps  we 
have ;  but  we  cannot  repeat  it  too  often.  An  enemy 
may  be  made  for  life  by  an  incautious  statement ;  and 
when  the  individual  has  a  tendency  to  murder  and 
homicide,  with  other  angry  passions,  telling  tales  in 
his  hand,  he  may  turn  and  rend  you  ! 

As  to  the  future,  be  particularly  careful  It  is  not 
**  in  our  hands "  in  one  sense,  if  it  be  in  another. 
The  marks  in  our  palms  are  God's  warnings  to  us, 
and  we  may  pay  no  more  attention  to  them  than  we 
do  to  Sunday  Sermons  or  Services.  Very  well  But 


Hints  upon  "Reading  the  Hand."       159 

do  not  say  you  had  no  warning  when  the  axe  falls. 
Be  also  very  circumspect  with  children,  their  doting 
parents,  and  nervous  persons.  All  Evil  may  be 
checked  by  Will  and  Religion.  Strong  as  the  strong 
man  is,  Another  is  stronger,  and  will  prevail 

Finally,  do  not  despise  the  hand,  or  its  teaching, 
nor  one  view  of  its  reality.  The  marks  are  there  for 
tome  reason;  until  you  can  prove  we  are  wrong  \\-e 
claim  to  be  right  1  FAREWELL  I 


THE  END. 


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